HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Committees: Video Conferencing

Nigel Evans: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what assessment the Commission has made of the effectiveness of arrangements in place to facilitate the taking of oral evidence by select committees via video-conferencing.

Nick Harvey: Arrangements for video-conferencing by Select Committees are monitored by the Liaison Committee. The video-conferencing projection equipment in the Committee Rooms in Portcullis House is currently being updated to enhance the picture and sound quality of transmissions.

Houses of Parliament: VAT

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether valued added tax (VAT) is charged on VAT-liable items in each of the House restaurants, vending machines, bars and canteens; and whether retail prices on VAT-liable items have been reduced since December 2008.

Nick Harvey: VAT is payable on the sale of all restaurant and bar services and so all prices charged in the restaurants, bars and cafeterias in the House of Commons include VAT at the prevailing rate (currently 15 per cent.). Selling prices are rounded to the nearest 5 pence, and all prices were reduced in December 2008 if the impact of the VAT rate change was more than or equal to 5p.
	VAT is also payable on food and drinks dispensed from vending machines. Prices were reviewed following the reduction in VAT in December 2008 but were unchanged due to the policy of rounding prices to the nearest 5p.

Houses of Parliament: VAT

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the retail prices in the House of Commons gift shop for items which attract valued added tax were reduced following the December 2008 reduction in value added tax.

Nick Harvey: Prices in the House of Commons souvenir shops are set to the nearest 5p. The selling prices of all goods on which VAT is payable were reduced in December 2008 if the impact of the VAT rate change came to 5p or more.

Members: Email

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether hon. Members and their staff are  (a) permitted and  (b) able to install Pretty Good Privacy encryption software on their computers; and what support PICT provides to hon. Members' offices in this regard.

Nick Harvey: Members and their staff do have the rights necessary to install their own software on their parliamentary computers. Members are responsible for the licensing and maintenance of any software that they install and, as the conditions of supply provide, PICT reserves the right to remove any software that is found to interfere with the proper operation of the hardware concerned, or the parliamentary network. This applies to encryption software. However, extra caution is needed with this type of product since, by its nature, it can prevent access and therefore could severely limit PICT's ability to provide support after it has been installed.
	PICT has recently completed an evaluation of encryption software and Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) was found to be incompatible with Parliament's current version of VPN (remote access) software. Therefore, this product is not recommended for users of that service. As part of the evaluation PICT has identified another product that can be deployed to Members' loaned machines by PICT at no cost to Members. The software can also be acquired by Members at their own cost, if they wish to have it installed on machines that they have purchased through PICT.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 546W, on trade unions, what the estimated cost to the public purse of the provision of facilities for the exclusive use of trade unions was in each of the last three years.

Nick Harvey: The estimated cost of the facilities was around £46,000 in each of the last three years.

Trade Unions: Political Levy

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 64W, on the political levy, if he will amend the staff handbook for House of Commons staff to inform them of their right to opt out of the political levies operated by those recognised trade unions which have a political fund.

Nick Harvey: Yes.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Legislation: Henry VIII Clauses

Francis Maude: To ask the Leader of the House how many Henry VIII clauses were contained in primary legislation enacted in Session 2007-08.

Chris Bryant: Henry VIII clauses, which confer on Ministers the power to amend the statute itself by delegated legislation, or to amend other statutes, are included in legislation for a variety of reasons.
	In some cases, such as section 6 of the Smoke Detectors Act 1991, they confer power to make significant and wide-ranging amendments to the parent Act. In other cases they may be used to make incidental and consequential amendments to existing Acts.
	The Government do not routinely collect or hold information about the number of Henry VIII provisions so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Members: ICT

Nigel Evans: To ask the Leader of the House if she will bring forward proposals to encourage hon. Members to use interactive digital technology to communicate with their constituents.

Harriet Harman: It is up to individual hon. Members how best to engage with their constituents, using interactive digital technology as well as other means. Hon. Members may use the Communication Allowance to meet the cost of designing and running a website which is intended to inform constituents of their work as a Member, to consult with constituents or local groups, or to provide contact information.
	I would be interested to hear of any specific examples of good practice in this area.

Statutory Instruments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Leader of the House how many statutory instruments subject to the  (a) negative and  (b) affirmative procedure have been laid before the House in each year since 1990.

Chris Bryant: The information is only readily available on a sessional basis and is published each year in the Sessional Returns. The following table shows the number of statutory instruments laid before the House in each Session from 1990-91 to 2007-08.
	
		
			  Session  Affirmative instruments  Negative instruments 
			 1990-91 201 1,072 
			 1991-92 95 611 
			 1992-93 277 1,723 
			 1993-94 174 1,226 
			 1994-95 188 1,316 
			 1995-96 199 1,309 
			 1996-97 151 903 
			 1997-98 225 1,591 
			 1998-99 178 1,266 
			 1999-2000 180 1,241 
			 2000-01 123 717 
			 2001-02 262 1,468 
			 2002-03 233 1,158 
			 2003-04 207 1,038 
			 2004-05 126 660 
			 2005-06 271 1,583 
			 2006-07 223 1,135 
			 2007-08 257 1,049

Statutory Instruments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Leader of the House how many statutory instruments subject to the  (a) negative and  (b) affirmative procedure have been debated in delegated legislation committees and their predecessor committees in each year since 1990.

Chris Bryant: The information, which is published each year in the Sessional Returns, is set out in the following table.
	The total number of affirmative instruments considered in committee each Session will differ from the total number laid in that Session for a number of reasons: some instruments are considered on the Floor of the House or in a Grand Committee; some items which are not laid as instruments may be agreed by the House to be treated as such; instruments may be considered in the Session after the one in which they were laid; and instruments may be withdrawn before they are considered.
	Information about the procedure to which an instrument was subject was not compiled before 1995-96.
	
		
			  Session  Affirmative  Negative  Other  Total 
			 1990-91 — — — 139 
			 1991-92 — — — 60 
			 1992-93 — — — 199 
			 1993-94 — — — 69 
			 1994-95 — — — 126 
			 1995-96 113 29 — 142 
			 1996-97 94 14 — 108 
			 1997-98 168 11 0 179 
			 1998-99 149 28 0 177 
			 1999-2000 156 16 2 174 
			 2000-01 116 6 0 122 
			 2001-02 217 41 0 258 
			 2002-03 200 40 0 240 
			 2003-04 169 16 0 185 
			 2004-05 (1)109 8 0 117 
			 2005-06 (2)241 (3)29 0 270 
			 2006-07 (4)186 (5)15 0 201 
			 2007-08 (6)188 24 0 212 
			 (1) Of which, one was not laid as an instrument but was agreed by the House to be treated as such. (2) Of which, nine were not laid as instruments but were agreed by the House to be treated as such. (3) Of which, two were not laid as instruments but were agreed by the House to be treated as such. (4) Of which, four were not laid as instruments but were agreed by the House to be treated as such. (5) Of which, three were not laid as instruments but were agreed by the House to be treated as such. (6) Of which, one was not laid as an instrument but was agreed by the House to be treated as such.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Hillsborough Castle

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what events he plans to host at Hillsborough Castle in 2009; and at what estimated cost.

Shaun Woodward: Each year I host events (including the annual Royal Garden Party) at Hillsborough to acknowledge the significant contribution a wide range of people make to life in Northern Ireland and beyond. These as usual include representatives from the voluntary and business sectors, the police and armed forces. Each year the Northern Ireland Office publishes a list of receptions held and the overall costs of those events.

WALES

Departmental Public Consultation

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many public consultations his Department has carried out in the last 12 months; for how long each consultation was open; how many responses were received to each consultation; and what the cost was of conducting each consultation.

Paul Murphy: None

Departmental Sick Leave

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department were recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: Records for sickness absence are only available from April 2004.
	The Wales Office is a small Department with less than 60 staff and therefore has had a very small number of staff on long term sick. In line with Cabinet Office guidance, we are unable to answer this question figuratively. This is in order to protect the privacy of individuals.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals he has to link schemes with environmental benefits to the single farm payment.

Jane Kennedy: The existing link between Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and environmental standards is provided by the requirements set under cross compliance. These standards are also a condition of entry to environmental stewardship which rewards farmers for additional positive management of the farmed environment under the rural development programme in England.
	The Common Agriculture Policy 'Health Check' decision in November 2008 abolished the set-aside mechanism from January 2009. The UK supported this action on the condition that adequate measures were put in place to mitigate adverse environmental consequences. We were successful in achieving a new legal basis which allows member states to use cross compliance for this purpose.
	Within this context, the Secretary of State asked Sir Don Curry to bring together key stakeholders to consider the impact of the loss of set-aside including investigating mitigation. Sir Don reported last July, since when we have been considering the details of how mitigation might be put into practice. We expect to be in a position to consult on possible mitigation measures shortly.

Agriculture: Subsidies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which UK producer organisations have been funded from EU budget line 05 02 08 03 in 2008; and how much has been awarded to each.

Jane Kennedy: Details of which UK producer organisations have been funded from EU budget line 05 02 08 03, and how much they have been awarded, are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  UK producer organisation  £ 
			 Abb Marketing Ltd. 111,911.52 
			 Abbey View Producer Organisation Ltd. 250,500.00 
			 Anglian Pea Growers Ltd. 186,579.83 
			 Angus Growers Ltd. 708,335.73 
			 ASA Peas Marketing Ltd. -6,773.17 
			 Aylsham Growers Ltd. 33,657.60 
			 Berry Growers Ltd. 16,991.23 
			 Britannia Salads P.O Ltd. 68,252.14 
			 Checkers '83 Ltd. 2,354.69 
			 Cottage Mushrooms Ltd. 246,679.16 
			 East of Scotland Growers Ltd. 268,286.95 
			 Fen Peas Ltd. 43,136.23 
			 Fieldfresh Ltd. 13,032.64 
			 Foxash Growers Ltd. 404,837.79 
			 Fresh Growers Ltd. 406,147.31 
			 Fruition PO Ltd. 1,186,619.38 
			 Fruitlink (Wisbech) Ltd. 150,754.34 
			 Glass Field & Pack Ltd. 401,944.94 
			 Global Salads Ltd. 8,286.88 
			 Green Produce P O Ltd. 430,988.72 
			 Greenshoots Ltd. 728,926.74 
			 Greenvale Fruit Packers Ltd. 21,239.08 
			 Growco Producer Organisation 124,503.39 
			 Growvale Ltd. 111,620.28 
			 G's Growers Ltd. 2,908,857.66 
			 Holbeach Marsh Co-Operative Ltd. 90,194.21 
			 Humber Growers Ltd. 95,662.72 
			 Humber Pea Growers Ltd. 1,504.43 
			 KG Growers Ltd. 3,170,052.01 
			 Linfresh Foods Ltd. 57,237.22 
			 Mid Kent Growers Ltd. 346,507.57 
			 Mockbeggar Ltd. 526,332.55 
			 Northern Mushrooms Ltd. 789,768.98 
			 Northway Mushrooms Ltd. 365,598.48 
			 Ormskirk Growers Ltd. 37,121.04 
			 Plantsman Ardleigh Storage Ltd. 34,677.33 
			 Red Star Growers Ltd. 148,101.52 
			 S G T Ltd. 239,719.08 
			 Scottish Borders Produce Ltd. 54,460.70 
			 Sherwood Produce Ltd. 341,310.93 
			 Snaith Salad Growers Ltd. 51,174.80 
			 South Devon Organic Producers Ltd. 71,088.33 
			 South Eastern Produce Ltd. 230,056.72 
			 Springhill Farms (Pershore) Ltd. 380,977.30 
			 Stemgold Peas Ltd. 56,066.87 
			 Suffolk Produce Ltd. 187,665.47 
			 Swaythorpe Growers Ltd. 76,309.13 
			 The Asplins Producer Organisation Ltd. 667,941.55 
			 The Berryworld Producer Organisation Ltd. 1,943,996.51 
			 The Greenpea Company Ltd. 435,486.95 
			 The Organic Mushroom Company Ltd. 395,869.17 
			 United Mushroom Producers Organisation Ltd. 175,662.90 
			 Waveney Mushrooms Ltd. 148,941.28 
			 Well-Pict European Growers Ltd. -3,705.29 
			 West Fen Peas Ltd. 33,562.52 
			 Wight Salads (Producer Organisation) Ltd. 371,748.65 
			 Wrangle Growers Ltd. 98,928.47 
			 Wye Fruit Ltd. 153,996.64 
			 Total 20,601,687.80

Agriculture: Subsidies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure is funded under EU budget line 05 02 08 10, Free Distribution of Fruits and Vegetables; which UK bodies received support under this line in 2008; and whether disbursements have been made from this budget line to  (a) political bodies and  (b) trades unions.

Jane Kennedy: There has been no expenditure funded under EU budget line 05 02 08 10 in 2008.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much late payment compensation has been paid under the Single Farm Payment scheme since its establishment; and what guidance his Department provides to farmers on the procedure for claiming such compensation.

Jane Kennedy: £3.6 million late compensation has been paid under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) since its establishment to end January 2009.
	This has been in the form of interest payments made to farmers who have received their full SPS payment after the 30 June closing date of the regulatory payment window for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 scheme years. The payments have been made under conditions set out by the Secretary of State, which are published on the Rural Payments Agency's (RPA) website.
	For the three scheme years to date, interest is paid at the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus 1 per cent., calculated from 1 July, subject to a minimum interest payment level of £50.
	It is not necessary for farmers to claim interest as RPA makes interest payments once each final payment is made to the farmer for that scheme year, including payments made where entitlement adjustments have been completed.

Batteries: Waste Disposal

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the environment of the disposal of batteries.

Jane Kennedy: Disposing of portable batteries and accumulators can have a detrimental impact on the environment and on public and animal health. Some batteries contain hazardous substances such as cadmium, mercury and lead. Batteries disposed of incorrectly can lead to such heavy metals leaking into the ground, causing soil and water pollution and endangering wildlife
	Further impacts may arise indirectly from the disposal of batteries, as they contain a range of metals that can be re-used. Disposing of such materials in landfill means that more resources have to be used to mine new metals.
	The UK is currently transposing the EU Directive on Batteries and Accumulators, which aims to reduce the negative environmental impact of waste portable batteries. This includes regulations that ban chemicals such as mercury and cadmium (above trace levels) in new batteries. In addition, the UK is working to implement the directive's requirements that we collect and recycle 25 per cent. of portable batteries by 2012 and 45 per cent. by 2016, which will dramatically reduce the amount going to landfill.

Compost

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many in-vessel composting sites have been licensed by the Environment Agency in each region of England.

Jane Kennedy: The following table indicates the number of in-vessel and windrow composting sites that are licensed in each Environment Agency region to date. Prior to standard permits being introduced, the Environment Agency's permit recording system did not distinguish between in-vessel and windrow composting and it would therefore incur disproportionate cost to collate figures for in-vessel alone.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Anglian 51 
			 Midlands 40 
			 North East 21 
			 North West 22 
			 Southern 26 
			 South West 18 
			 Thames 29 
			 Wales 10

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) public health and  (b) environmental effects of fortnightly waste collections; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 23 February 2009
	In order to help local authorities make informed decisions on waste management, DEFRA funded an independent research study (carried out by Enviros Consulting and Cranfield University) which looked into the environmental and health impacts of waste management, looking in particular at municipal solid waste. The report was published in 2004 and is available on the DEFRA website at this address:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/research/health/

Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the value of food  (a) spoiled and  (b) disposed of in each of the last six years.

Jane Kennedy: Data are not available for the value of food spoiled and disposed of in each of the last six years.
	However, WRAP undertook research in 2007 to quantify the amounts and types of household food waste produced in the UK.
	According to research conducted in 2007, the estimated total annual cost of household food waste (avoidable and unavoidable) is £14.4 billion per year. The estimated annual cost of avoidable household food waste is £10.2 billion.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legal costs were incurred by his Department in relation to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in  (a) 2001 and  (b) 2007.

Jane Kennedy: The resources needed to obtain the information in relation to the legal cost incurred by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, following the Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in 2001, would be disproportionate and over the £750 threshold.
	The legal cost incurred by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, so far, following the Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak 2007 is £27,030.05.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) lowest,  (b) highest,  (c) median and  (d) mean monetary value of compensation claims awarded following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2007 was.

Jane Kennedy: The monetary value of compensation awarded as a result of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2007 is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Lowest 75 
			 Highest 94,500 
			 Median 41,714 
			 Mean 21,453 
		
	
	The compensation payable in such circumstances is set out in section 31(c) and in schedule 3, paragraph 3(5) of the Animal Health Act 1981. These provide that Government must pay compensation at the value of the animals immediately before they became infected or were killed. Each animal was assessed by an independent valuer or official veterinarian prior to being culled and this valuation formed the basis of the compensation paid to the owner. Some businesses will have received more than one award.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on encouraging applications by growers to be recognised as producer organisations for the purposes of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme.

Jane Kennedy: The rural payments agency (RPA) publish comprehensive guidance about the scheme on their website, including information for prospective applicants. DEFRA, in conjunction with the devolved administrations and with the industry itself, has drawn up a national strategy in order to provide detailed advice that producer organisations (POs) can adopt with the aim of developing their businesses and gaining funding under the scheme. One of its aims is that this advice will encourage more growers to seek recognition under the scheme, either as new POs or as new members of existing ones. More generally, it is one of DEFRA's aims to encourage greater collaboration across the food chain. We have commissioned English Farming and Food Partnerships to undertake work to promote awareness and interest in the scheme with a view to encouraging greater uptake.

Fuels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the potential use of used cooking oil as a secondary fuel for use in static generator engines.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has made funding available to enable the Environment Agency to develop an end-of-waste protocol for waste cooking oil. Waste cooking oil which is treated to the standards set out in the protocol is accepted by the Agency to have been fully recovered and to have ceased to be waste. However this protocol only applies to biodiesel for use in automotive engines.

Landfill

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the amount of food waste that goes to landfill each year.

Jane Kennedy: The DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) does not have data for the total amount of food waste that goes to landfill every year.
	However, WRAP undertook research in 2007 to quantify the amounts and types of household food waste produced in the UK. According to its report, "The Food We Waste", UK households waste 6.7 million tonnes of food every year: around one third of the 21.7 million tonnes we purchase.

Meat: Imports

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legislation governs levels of hormones in meat imported into the UK.

Jane Kennedy: EU Council Directive 96/23 lays down measures to monitor certain substances and residues in animals and animal products. In terms of import controls this is implemented in England through the Products of Animal Origin Regulations (Third Country Imports) (England) 2006. The devolved Authorities have their versions of the Products of Animal Origin Regulations.

Metals: Recycling

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of metal recycling sites affected by proposals to remove their exemptions from full environmental permitting,  (b) the number of such sites which will (i) incur additional costs and (ii) risk closure under the proposals and  (c) the cost to each site of obtaining the necessary planning approvals for their operations under the proposals.

Jane Kennedy: In England and Wales there are currently 1,893 sites operating under the existing exemption from environmental permitting which applies to the recovery of scrap metal or the dismantling of motor vehicles.
	Under the proposed amendments to the exemptions from environmental permitting which the Department put out for consultation last year, and using best available information, it is estimated that about one third of scrap metal sites which are currently exempt might need to apply for an environmental permit. No decisions have yet been taken on the outcome of the consultation process, and until the exemption thresholds are finalised, it is not possible to determine precisely how many scrap metal sites would require an environmental permit and associated planning approval in the future. Any additional costs incurred by such sites would vary, depending on the particular circumstances of each site.

Metals: Recycling

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Environment Agency takes to inspect businesses engaged in scrap metal  (a) recovery and  (b) treatment for compliance with the requirements of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007; what steps it takes to prosecute businesses which do not comply with the regulations; and what its budget for such enforcement activity for 2008-09 is.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency's inspection regime for those scrap metal sites which require an environmental permit is determined by an Operator Pollution Risk Appraisal (OPRA), which assesses the environmental risks and hazards posed by and associated with an activity and how well they are being managed. Those scrap metal sites which qualify for an exemption from the need for an environmental permit are inspected on an annual basis.
	Between April and December 2008, 97 scrap metal and end of life vehicles sites were subject to intervention by the Environment Agency including enforcement. This included shutting 78 sites down and bringing 19 sites into compliance. Sites which represent the highest environmental risk are dealt with as a matter of priority. During 2008, the Environment Agency carried out 14 prosecutions against operators treating, keeping, or storing waste illegally or breaching permit conditions involving metals and end of life vehicles only.
	The Environment Agency works in partnership with the major trade associations, police forces, Home Office, DVLA, DEFRA and BERR in tackling waste crime. The agency spends about £15 million a year tackling illegal waste activity, which includes fly tipping and illegal wastes sites. It is not possible to say how much of this spend relates to scrap metal sites.

Pigmeat

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what guidance is given under the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative to purchasers of pork in the public sector on procurement of pork products bearing the quality standard mark;
	(2)  when he last reviewed Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative guidance on pork purchases.

Jane Kennedy: The Department continues to update and improve the guidance on pork purchases provided under the PSFPI. On 19 January 2009 we published and disseminated a notice alerting public sector bodies to the EU ban on sow stalls from 2013 and its implications for the procurement of pork and pig meat products. This can be viewed on the PSFPI website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/awareness.htm
	Work is in progress to develop a model specification for the procurement of pork and bacon which will provide additional guidance on the appropriate use of quality standards for the procurement of pork products.

Recycling: Local Government

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 local authorities had the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest rate of (i) materials recycled, (ii) waste sent to landfill and (iii) production of energy from waste in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The requested information is available on DEFRA's website.

Renewable Energy: Waste

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated to compare the different processes used in the extraction of energy from waste; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has commissioned the following research projects which compare different processes used in the extraction of energy from waste:
	Optimising inputs and outputs from anaerobic digestion processes (WR0212, carried out by the University of Southampton)
	Carbon balances and energy impacts of the management of UK waste streams (WR0602, carried out by ERM)
	Emissions from waste management facilities: frameworks for assessment of data quality and research needs (WR0608, carried out by ERM)
	Impact of energy from waste and recycling policy on UK GHG emissions (WR0609, carried out by ERM)
	The optimisation and impacts of expanding biogas production (AC0406, led by Rothamsted Research (North Wyke site) in collaboration with the University of Exeter and AEA Technologies). The project has not been completed, but has produced a report entitled "The optimisation and impacts of expanding biogas production", which is published. The final report will also be published.
	Of the aforementioned, two projects are complete (WR0602, WR0609); of which WR0602 has been evaluated through a peer review.
	Project reports from the completed projects have been published on the DEFRA website and reports from the ongoing projects will be published in due course.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of short-term projects set up in Afghanistan to aid reconstruction.

Michael Foster: The information requested could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Central African Republic: Overseas Aid

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding has been provided by his Department to the Central African Republic in each of the last three years; and what funding is planned in each of the next three financial years.

Ivan Lewis: Details on the Department for International Development's (DFID) bilateral expenditure and imputed share of multilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) are contained in the DFID publication 'Statistics on International Development'. This publication is available from in the Library and online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	Relevant figures are produced in the table.
	The Central African Republic does not have an individual allocation for funding over the next three years, as it is part of a wider regional programme. Allocations are made according to needs, and it is at this stage too early to sub-divide the main allocation.
	
		
			  DFID expenditure in the Central African Republic, 2005-06  to  2007-08 
			  £000 
			   DFID bilateral expenditure  DFID imputed multilateral shares 
			 2005-06 — 2,320 
			 2006-06 2,197 12,535 
			 2007-08 1,134 5,816

Departmental Accountancy

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were employed by his Department's Internal Audit Department in each financial year since 1997-98.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development's (DFID) Internal Audit Department (IAD) employed the following numbers of staff from 2004-05 onwards:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 16 
			 2005-06 17 
			 2006-07 18 
			 2007-08 15 
			 2008-09 (to date) 17 
		
	
	IAD also supplements its in-house resources through using external consultants to deliver or support certain internal audit assignments.
	Staff numbers are not available by Department within DFID for financial years prior to 2004-05 when a new human resources database was introduced.

Departmental Data Protection

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy for his Department to sign the Information Commissioner's Personal Information Promise.

Michael Foster: The Government welcomed the Promise as a commendable initiative to raise awareness of the importance of effective data protection safeguards, particularly for those organisations with no similar commitments already in place.
	The Government take data protection very seriously. Following the Cabinet Office Review of Data Handling Procedures in Government, Departments have implemented a raft of measures to improve data security.
	The Ministry of Justice is considering actively with the ICO how the Promise might add additional value to those measures we have already signed up to. These include the Information Charters, the recommendations of the Data Handling Review and the Thomas/Walport Review and, of course, our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act and other legislation and regulations.

Zimbabwe: Cholera

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the operation of the UNICEF programme for distribution of potable water to the cholera-affected areas of Zimbabwe.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working closely with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation to ensure potable water reaches those in need. Our support includes: help to establish a cholera command and control centre (to co-ordinate the response); distribution of cholera response kits; provision of potable water in affected areas; and essential medicines and other vital support to health systems.
	Distribution of potable water has been arranged in three ways: by fixing infrastructure and bringing in chemicals; through drilling of local boreholes; and ultimately by trucking in daily supplies where immediate needs can only be met this way. Indications are that where such measures have been instigated they have made a significant contribution to reducing the worst effects of the cholera outbreak.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bed-and-Breakfast Accommodation: Young People

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children under 16 years are living in bed-and-breakfast accommodation; and what steps are being taken to reduce that number.

Iain Wright: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Information on the number of dependent children (and expected children) in bed-and-breakfast style temporary accommodation (i.e. bed-and-breakfast hotels and other privately managed shared facility annexes) is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. This figure includes all children under 16 years old, and dependent children aged 16 to 18. On the 30 September 2008, there were an estimated 1,570 dependent children in bed-and-breakfast style temporary accommodation.
	We have taken action to tackle the worst aspects of temporary accommodation use—families with children who were placed in cramped bed-and-breakfast accommodation for long periods of time. The effect of the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003, which came into force on 1 April 2004, is that local authorities are no longer able to discharge their homelessness duty to secure suitable accommodation by placing households that include children or a pregnant woman in bed-and-breakfast accommodation except as a last resort and then for no longer than six weeks.
	Furthermore, in 2005, we announced a target of reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation under the homelessness legislation. Following 12 consecutive quarters of decreases, the figure had fallen to 72,130 by the end of September 2008, and around 40 per cent. of local authorities have already met the target to halve the number of households in temporary accommodation by 2010.
	We have provided over £200 million of homelessness funding to local authorities and the voluntary sector, to help them carry out this work.

Community Relations: Religion

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Local Authority Guidance on including humanists and non-religious people in local authority religion and belief equality work produced by the Community Development Foundation.

Sadiq Khan: Although some of the Community Development Foundation's published resources mention non-religious groups in the cohesion or equality context, it has not produced any publication specifically on the inclusion of humanists and non-religious people in local authority religion and belief equality work.

Departmental Data Protection

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy for her Department to sign the Information Commissioner's Personal Information Promise.

Sadiq Khan: The Government welcome the Promise as a commendable initiative to raise awareness of the importance of effective data protection safeguards, particularly for those organisations with no similar commitments already in place.
	The Government take data protection very seriously. Following the Cabinet Office Review of Data Handling Procedures in Government, Departments have implemented a raft of measures to improve data security.
	The Ministry of Justice is considering actively with the ICO how the Promise might add additional value to those measures Departments have already signed up to. These include the Information Charters, the recommendations of the Data Handling Review and the Thomas/Walport Review and, of course, our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act and other legislation and regulations.

Eco-Towns

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on  (a) publicity,  (b) public consultation and  (c) legal costs on eco-town policy since 23 July 2007, identifying separately in each case expenditure on (i) consultants, (ii) support for non-governmental organisations and (iii) consultation materials and exhibitions.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 108W. This sets out details of spending on the eco-towns programme, including publicity, public consultation and consultant costs.

Eco-Towns

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate the amount of time spent by officials in her Department on the eco-town project since the publication of the eco-town prospectus on 23 July 2007; and how many officials in her Department are currently working on the project.

Margaret Beckett: In common with the normal practice of the Department, we do not keep a record of time spent on specific policies and projects, so it is not possible to provide an estimate of official time spent on the eco-towns project since 23 July 2007. Currently nine officials are part of the eco-towns team, but there are also a number of other officials across the Department that contribute to the project, including those working in the areas of planning and climate change.

Eco-towns: Middle Quinton

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the PricewaterhouseCoopers interim financial viability study of the proposed Middle Quinton eco-town.

Margaret Beckett: The viability study prepared for us by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the eco-town proposal for Middle Quinton will be published shortly, alongside studies for other eco-town proposals.

Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations other than faith-based groups received grants under Round  (a) one and  (b) two of the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund programme; and how much each such organisation received.

Sadiq Khan: The following table shows the non-faith based groups that received funding in the two rounds of the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund programme. These groups all received funding to assist them with work to build relationships with and between faith communities.
	
		
			  Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund: Funded non-faith based organisations 
			  Organisation  Amount awarded (£) 
			  Round 1  
			 African Support and Project Centre (ASPC) 4,900.00 
			 Asian Virsa 5,000.00 
			 Aylesbury Centre for Therapy (ACT)—The Lorrimore 4,940.00 
			 Birmingham Ex-Offenders Service Team (BEST) 5,000.00 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Education Development Trust 5,000.00 
			 Bluestreak Arts 5,000.00 
			 Broxtowe Community Celebration Group (BCCG) 4,740.00 
			 BTWSC 5,000.00 
			 Caravan-e-Adab 3,000.00 
			 Centre for Bangladeshi Community Studies (CBCS) 36,120.00 
			 Chaturangan 5,000.00 
			 Craven Voluntary Action 4,050.00 
			 Credits 4 You—(C4U) 4,845.00 
			 Darwen Central Community Association 4,350.00 
			 Faith in the Future Ltd. 4,530.00 
			 Flash Musicals 5,000.00 
			 Foleshill Women's Training 5,000.00 
			 Freightliners Farm Ltd. 25,569.00 
			 Friends of Herd Farm 5,000.00 
			 Global Arts Kingston 4,200.00 
			 Harrow Association of Voluntary Service 16,143.00 
			 Hewa Bora Community Development (HB-CODE) 2,568.77 
			 Hyndburn Cultural Association 33,354.00 
			 Hyndburn Women's Forum 4,595.00 
			 Indo-British Association (North) 5,000.00 
			 Inside Track Regeneration Ltd. 5,000.00 
			 Kala Sangam 15,000.00 
			 Kalapremi (UK) 4,785.00 
			 Keighley Asian Women and Children's Centre 25,933.00 
			 Lincoln Area Regeneration Group (LARG) 3,397.00 
			 Living History North East 30,000.00 
			 London Tigers 5,000.00 
			 Merton Voluntary Services Council 1,450.00 
			 Milton Community Partnership (MCP) 4,000.00 
			 Newcastle Bangladesh Association 4,000.00 
			 Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium 27,300.00 
			 Nomad Cultural Forum 5,000.00 
			 NuMu (New Music) 4,975.00 
			 One to One Children's Fund 35,200.00 
			 Q-News Media 20,000.00 
			 Rise Phoenix 25,000.00 
			 Rochdale Inner Area Sports For All Group 2,000.00 
			 Rumworth Youth Support Group 5,000.00 
			 Sandycroft Centre 4,996.00 
			 Savile Town Young Women's Network 4,840.00 
			 Sceptre International Trust 4,830.00 
			 Southern Brooks Community Partnership 5,000.00 
			 SPLASH (South Poplar and Limehouse Action for Secure Housing) 35,000.00 
			 St. Hilda's East Community Centre (Faiths United) 21,827.00 
			 The Lancashire Partnership Against Crime 4,400.00 
			 Tinsley Parents and Children's Consortium 4,834.00 
			 Voluntary Action Leicester 4,950.00 
			 Weston Spirit 2,500.00 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead Community Forum (WAMCF) 30,000.00 
			 YASY (Youth Association South Yorkshire) 5,000.00 
			   
			  Round 2  
			 AAINA Asian Women's Group 11,500.00 
			 Aik Saath 12,981.00 
			 Al-Haqq Supplementary School 5,000.00 
			 Asian Virsa 3,500.00 
			 ATL (Yorkshire) Ltd. 15,000.00 
			 Awaz Utaoh 28,250.00 
			 Barnet Voluntary Service Council 3,600.00 
			 BUCA (Burkina Community Association) 5,000.00 
			 Citizenship Foundation 24,608.00 
			 De Montfort Students' Union 18,900.00 
			 Echo of Afrika (EOA) 4,343.58 
			 Ethnic Minorities Advocacy Group (EMAG) 2,300.00 
			 Face 2,100.00 
			 Finsbury Park Homeless Families Project 5,000.00 
			 Gateshead Visible Ethnic Minority Support Group 5,000.00 
			 Global Generation 15,322.00 
			 Greater London Domestic Violence Project (part of London Action Trust) 21,660.00 
			 Halesowen Asian Elderly Association 2,000.00 
			 Hanley Crouch Community Association 4,917.00 
			 Henna Asian Women's Group 5,000.00 
			 Hewabora Community Development (HB-CODE) 4,230.00 
			 Indian Union, Oxford 5,000.00 
			 Lambeth Congolese Community (LACOCO) 5,000.00 
			 Leicester Rajkot Twinning Association 3,850.00 
			 Minorities of Europe ("MoE") 16,000.00 
			 NCBI Leicestershire (National Coalition Building Institute) 5,000.00 
			 OFFER (Open Forum for Economic Regeneration) 21,396.00 
			 One World Week 28,625.00 
			 PLIAS Resettlement 4,550.00 
			 Pulling Together—Young Asian Women's Group 4,185.00 
			 Race Equality Action Lewisham 19,070.00 
			 RAIS Academy 4,500.00 
			 Religions for Peace (UK) 29,930.00 
			 Robin Hood Millennium Green Trust (RHMGT) 4,990.00 
			 Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance (REMA) 17,250.00 
			 South Craven Community Action 26,181.00 
			 St. John's Wood Adventure Playground 4,650.00 
			 Tameside Third Sector Coalition (T3SC) 29,680.00 
			 The Art House 4,990.00 
			 The National Youth Agency 29,480.00 
			 The Open Centre 20,320.00 
			 The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Trust 25,000.00 
			 Three Faiths Forum 30,000.00 
			 Torbay Voluntary Service 2,000.00 
			 Toynbee Hall 17,287.00 
			 Tyneside Cinema 29,980.00 
			 Victoria Centre 15,000.00 
			 Voice of Aston 15,275.00 
			 Warwick District Faiths Forum (WDFF) 5,000.00 
			 Women Connect First 12,000.00 
			 Youth Association South Yorkshire (known as YASY) 20,000.00

Fire Services: Medals

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration her Department has given to provision of funding for the award of fire brigade long service medals; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department already provides full funding for the award of Fire Brigade long service and good conduct medals through the Office of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, located within Communities and Local Government.

Government Offices for the Regions: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant property recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by the Government Offices for the Regions at  (a) the Belgrave Centre,  (b) the Westbrook Centre,  (c) Riverwalk House,  (d) 2 Rivergate,  (e) Mast House and  (f) Paradise Circus 77 is in 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: The property business rates for vacant space for the requested buildings as recorded on e-PIMS is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Belgrave Centre 14,550 
			 Westbrook Centre 14,985 
			 Riverwalk House 125,509 
			 Rivergate 25,447 
			 Mast House 16,761 
			 Paradise Circus 72,815

Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which banks and building societies are participating in the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme.

Margaret Beckett: The eight largest lenders covering 70 per cent. of the mortgage market—HBOS, Nationwide, Abbey, Lloyds TSB, Northern Rock, Barclays, RBS, HSBC—have agreed in principle to support the new scheme. We are now working with a wider group of lenders to finalise the scheme implementation plans and agree the draft Master Guarantee. All lenders will be invited to sign-up to the scheme in due course. RBS have confirmed that they will actively participate in the scheme once details are finalised.

Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme to begin.

Margaret Beckett: We expect the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme to be open for business with the first lenders in April now that the Banking Act, which is the legislative vehicle we have used to enable us to do this, has gained Royal Assent. The draft Master Guarantee is currently with lenders.

Lobbying

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1697-98W, on Lord Truscott, what information was given to Lord Taylor by her Department following his request for information on Newark as a growth point and related planning cases.

Sadiq Khan: Baroness Andrews wrote to Lord Taylor in July 2008, giving him a factual update on recent planning proposals and growth point funding for Newark on Trent. All the information was in the public domain. She also informed him that the Government office for the east midlands had been asked to comment on an "Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report" for a proposed urban extension to the south of Newark, but had declined to comment—as to have done otherwise might have been seen to have prejudiced the Secretary of State's quasi-judicial role in the event that an application is referred to her for a decision in the future.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeowners are currently in receipt of assistance under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme.

Margaret Beckett: On 3 December 2008, the Prime Minister announced additional support for homeowners facing financial difficulties through a new homeowners mortgage support scheme.
	It became clear that legislative change was required. This was secured on 12 February when the Banking Bill received Royal Assent.
	I wrote to lenders detailing the proposed key elements of the scheme in December. This letter is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/homeownersmortgagesupport
	We are now working urgently with lenders and debt advisers to confirm the final design and implementation details, and to open the scheme for borrowers in spring 2009.

Ordnance Survey: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by Ordnance Survey is in 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: Ordnance Survey has had no vacant property qualifying for empty property business rates during 2008-09. Ordnance Survey has some space within one building which has been vacant since 2007, and for which it is actively seeking a tenant. £21,111.72 has been paid in unified business rates on this space during 2008-09.

Peter Housden

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to pages 22-3 of her Department's Resource Accounts 2007-08, for what reason Mr. Peter Housden receives an interest-free housing loan; and for how many years he has received such a loan from her Department and its predecessor.

Sadiq Khan: The loan was provided in 2002 when Mr. Housden worked for the DFES as part of a relocation package from Nottingham to London—the loan transferred to Communities and Local Government when Mr. Housden was appointed as permanent secretary on 24 October 2005. Packages of this kind are commonplace in many major organisations and are a key part of recruiting the very best candidates. The loan is counted as taxable income and is being paid back over a 10 year period. Rules governing loans are detailed in the Civil Service Code.

Refuges: Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the findings of the report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Map of Gaps: The Postcode Lottery of Violence Against Women Support Services, on the provision of refuges by local authorities for victims of domestic violence.

Iain Wright: We have taken note of the report and continue to recognise the important role refuges can play in helping the victims of domestic abuse. We also recognise that there is a range of support for those victims; some will be accommodated in refuges, but sanctuary schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.
	However it is for individual local authorities to identify any gaps in service provision and put in place appropriate solutions to address this. We would expect local authorities to build services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.
	The Department have recently commissioned new research that will identify the current housing options available to households at risk of domestic violence, and to assess whether this provision meets current need. It will involve establishing the extent and type of temporary and settled accommodation available for households at risk of domestic violence in England, including the provision of housing related support services delivered to both temporary and settled accommodation, and to households' own homes.
	In 2003 the Government announced major investment in refuge provision in England in 2003-06. A total of £34 million capital was allocated and 511 units of accommodation were refurbished or newly built. More recently the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (2005-07) funded six new and refurbished refuges at a cost of £4 million.
	CLG provides essential revenue support for victims of domestic violence through the Supporting People Programme.

Refuges: Domestic Violence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make an assessment of the  (a) geographical distribution,  (b) quality and  (c) effectiveness of (i) refuges for victims of domestic violence and (ii) services for victims of rape in England; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: There is a range of support for survivors of domestic abuse. The homelessness legislation provides a safety net for survivors and some will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some survivors will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.
	The Department has recently commissioned new research that will identify the current housing options available to households at risk of domestic abuse, and to assess whether this provision meets current need across England. It will involve establishing the extent and type of temporary and settled accommodation (including refuges) available for households who have experienced or are at risk of domestic abuse in England, including the provision of housing related support services.
	The Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) was introduced in 2003 and sets out the standards expected in the delivery of housing-related support services, including domestic abuse refuges (funded through the Supporting People programme). Its purpose is to drive up quality standards across the sector and to ensure that services evolve to meet the changing needs and aspirations of clients.
	The QAF has been one of the major successes of the Supporting People programme. The majority of administering authorities continue to use the QAF today and there is also evidence that other areas across authorities, such as adult social care, are also adopting the QAF as the standard tool to measure the quality of services being delivered.
	A national Supporting People Outcomes Framework was launched in summer 2007. The framework monitors the outcomes delivered by housing-related support services, including domestic abuse refuges, across England for a wide range of client groups.
	The Government are rolling out sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) and independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) across the country to support victims of rape. There are currently 27 SARCs and distribution is recorded by the Home Office. The Home Secretary has made a commitment to have one in each police force area by 2011. A method of assessing quality and effectiveness is currently being developed by the Department of Health. There are currently 36 ISVAs and there is a Government commitment to ensure all victims have access to an ISVA by 2011. Distribution of ISVAs is recorded by the Home Office and quality and effectiveness is currently assessed by regional Government offices.
	Central Government do not collect information in respect of voluntary sector services for victims of rape.

Sheffield House: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant property recorded on the e-PIMS database of  (a) Sheffield House,  (b) Hempstead House and  (c) the Community Development Foundation is in 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: The cost in business rates of the 1st floor Sheffield house being vacant during 2008-09 was £17,209.50. The estimated cost of business rates for the ground floor of Hempstead house being vacant was £14,823.
	The Community Development Foundation property referred to is not vacant.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he plans to inform Parliament of the findings and implications of his Department's periodic review of Afghanistan strategy for 2008; and what form he expects this presentation to take.

David Miliband: Officials are preparing to publish shortly a paper outlining progress made in Afghanistan to date and the challenges we face going forward on the basis of the stocktake completed in December 2008. Parliament will be informed as soon the paper is ready. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Diplomatic Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the appointment of a new High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

David Miliband: This issue was discussed at the 26 January 2009 and 23 February 2009 at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels. Officials have also discussed the appointment with Peace Implementation Council partners.
	The international community needs to find a credible successor to Miroslav Lajcak who can continue to assist Bosnia and Herzegovina in moving away from ethnic divisions towards a better future for all its citizens.

China: Family Planning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the government of China on trends in China's population since July 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: No discussions have taken place between the UK and the Chinese government on trends in China's population since July 2008.

Conflict Resolution

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which dates the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Conflict Resolution Mechanisms has visited  (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and  (b) 10 Downing Street; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 12 February 2009
	The right hon. Jack McConnell MSP, the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Conflict Resolution Mechanisms is based in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He met officials from the European Council, European Commission and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on 9-10 December 2008 in Brussels and from the UN on 15-16 December 2008 in New York. Mr McConnell also met EU officials on 2-3 February 2009 in Bosnia. He plans to meet officials from the African Union shortly.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the government of  (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and  (b) Rwanda regarding the joint military operation involving their two countries in the East of the DRC; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: British officials have met senior representatives of the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda recently to discuss the ongoing military operations in eastern DRC. We have made clear our support for improved co-operation between the governments, and urged greater involvement by the UN in planning military action to ensure civilian protection is in place and human rights are upheld. The presence of the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) militia is one of the fundamental causes of the instability in DRC. We welcome the commitment of the governments of DRC and Rwanda to addressing this.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to help strengthen the MONUC force in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Caroline Flint: We fully support UN efforts to strengthen its peacekeeping Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). The UK was a co-sponsor of UN Security Council Resolution 1843, which allowed MONUC's strength to be increased by over 3,000.
	Since the adoption of that Resolution, we have lobbied potential troop contributing countries and led calls for the reinforcement to take place as soon as possible. The UK has identified ways in which it could lend support to MONUC, including through secondment of a small number of appropriately skilled individuals to fill key vacant posts on the MONUC staff, including the post of Deputy Force Commander.

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) letters and  (b) e-mails received by his Department had not been responded to as at 15 December 2008.

Caroline Flint: Only correspondence received by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministerial Support Unit (MSU) is logged centrally. To ask every department or overseas post within the FCO how many letters and e-mails had not been responded to by a particular date would incur a disproportionate cost.
	MSU records are maintained on a rolling basis so it is not possible to identify how many pieces of correspondence had not been responded to as of 15 December 2008. Furthermore, we do not differentiate between types of correspondence so are unable to break down our response into the number of letters or e-mails we receive. However, I can confirm that, in-line with Cabinet Office guidance, of the 10,334 letters received from hon. Members in 2008, 87 per cent. were answered within 20 working days and of the 73,048 letters received from members of the public, 91 per cent. were answered within 20 working days.

Departmental Correspondence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long on average it took his Department to send a substantive response to correspondence from members of the public in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Only correspondence received by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) ministerial support unit (MSU) is logged centrally. To ask every Department or overseas post within the FCO how long on average it takes to issue a substantive response to correspondence from members of the public would incur a disproportionate cost.
	MSU records do not allow us to identify the average length of time taken to substantively reply to correspondence from members of the public. However, I can confirm that of the 73,048 letters received from members of the public, 91 per cent. were answered within 20 working days.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of staff are employed to deal with requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in his Department.

Caroline Flint: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has 10 staff in its information rights team who are responsible for managing freedom of information and subject access requests under the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts respectively. However, a large number of staff in the FCO play a role in answering freedom of information requests and to find out exactly how many would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on  (a) departmental Christmas parties and  (b) staff entertainment in the last three years.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally, and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions.

Caroline Flint: Our aim is that members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of their pension on retirement if they continue in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement prompts the member to consider boosting their pension and provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions and a calculator to work out costs for added pension (previously added years).
	For technical reasons 2009 will be the first year we issue benefits statements to all scheme members.
	New entrants are informed of pension options in the employment offer and are provided with a pension information pack.

Departmental Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the public appointments for which his Department is responsible are due to be  (a) renewed and  (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records his Department keeps in respect of such appointments.

Caroline Flint: Information on the public appointments for which the Department is responsible is published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/what-we-do/building-strong-relationships-ol/stakeholder-groups/non-dept-public-bodies/
	Vacancies may be advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at:
	www.publicappointments.gov.uk
	The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication "Making and Managing Public Appointments". For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the "Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies". Copies are in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 75W, on departmental public expenditure, what his Department's forecast  (a) net euro and  (b) net US dollar exposure for the financial years (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09 was; and what revisions were made to those forecasts in light of foreign exchange movements.

David Miliband: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) forecasted net euro and net US dollar exposure as follows:
	(i) The FCO's net euro and US dollar exposure in 2007-08 was:
	 (a) Euro: €274 million
	 (b) US dollar: $917 million.
	During this year all foreign currency requirements were met through making separate "spot" deals for each individual invoice, subscription payment or funds transfer to cover running costs at overseas posts. Variations from budget estimates caused by exchange rate fluctuations were compensated by the Treasury's Overseas Price Movements mechanism, and no central forecast of foreign currency requirements was made.
	(ii) The forecast net euro and US dollar exposure for 2008-09 was:
	 (a) Euro: €180 million
	 (b) US dollars: $767 million.
	This comprised our commitments for subscriptions to international organisations and UN peacekeeping missions and overseas posts' estimates of the sums required for their running and other costs given at the beginning of the financial year.
	Following approval from HM Treasury to forward purchase this exposure, contracts were placed with the Bank of England for the period July 2008 to March 2009. We agreed these would be limited to 80 per cent. of the total, in recognition of the possibilities that estimates might not be completely accurate, and/or that due to the weakness of sterling, the full amounts might not be affordable.
	In total, the following amounts were forward purchased for the period July 2008 to March 2009:
	 (a) Euro: €102 million
	 (b) US dollars: $559 million.
	In the light of exchange rate movements, the budgets for 2008-09 needed to be revised as follows:
	(a) HM Treasury were asked for an additional £5 million towards International Subscriptions.
	(b) We identified that across all currencies a further £90 million would be needed by budget holders from within the FCO's own resources in order to maintain the purchasing power for overseas posts and pay additional peacekeeping costs.

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of foreign exchange movements on subscriptions to international organisations paid through his Department's budget.

David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Subscriptions to each international organisation in 2007-08 
			  Subscription  £000 
			 UN regular budget and other UN contributions 72,382 
			 Council of Europe 19,620 
			 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 20,962 
			 Organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD) 12,826 
			 Commonwealth secretariat 3,435 
			 Organisation for security cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 3,223 
			 Western European union/others 2,215 
			 Total 34,663 
			  Source:  Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Resource Accounts 2007-08. 
		
	
	
		
			  (a) Subscriptions to each international organisation in 2008-09 
			  Subscription  £000 
			 UN regular budget and other UN contributions 73,507 
			 Council of Europe 23,938 
			 NATO 20,870 
			 OECD 14,290 
			 Commonwealth secretariat 4,343 
			 OSCE 3,745 
			 Western European Union/others 2,040 
			 Total 142,733 
			  Source: FCO Supplementary Estimates 2008-09, 27 January 2009 
		
	
	 (b) Subscriptions to each i nternational o rganisation in 2009-10
	The projected costs for 2009-10 are around £146 millions but are uncertain. In negotiating with international organisations as they set their budgets for 2009-10, the FCO will endeavour to limit budget increases to zero real growth. The fall in the value of the Sterling will have an impact on subscriptions paid in US Dollars and Euros. The FCO shares the burden of exchange rate movements on international subscriptions with the Treasury under the arrangement whereby HM Treasury funds 60 per cent. of any increase above a baseline of £102 million. Our foreign currency forward purchase contracts do include an element for our international subscription costs intended to help offset any further falls in the value of the Sterling.

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost to his Department was of subscriptions to international organisations in 2007-08; what the cost was with regard to each international institution; and what the total cost is projected to be in 2008-09.

David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Subscriptions to each international o rganisation in 2007-08 
			  Subscription  £000 
			 UN regular budget and other UN contributions 72,382 
			 Council of Europe 19,620 
			 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 20,962 
			 Organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD) 12,826 
			 Commonwealth secretariat 3,435 
			 Organisation for security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 3,223 
			 Western European Union/others 2,215 
			 Total 134,663 
			  Source:  Foreign and Commonwealth Office Resource Accounts 2007-08 
		
	
	
		
			  (a) Subscriptions to each international o rganisation in 2008-09 
			  Subscription  £000 
			 UN regular budget and other UN contributions 73,507 
			 Council of Europe 23,938 
			 NATO 20,870 
			 OECD 14,290 
			 Commonwealth secretariat 4,343 
			 OSCE 3,745 
			 Western European Union/others 2,040 
			 Total 142,733

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on its budget and activities in 2009-10 of the Treasury's decision to withdraw support for the overseas price mechanism.

David Miliband: We continue to operate the Overseas Price Mechanism internally to maintain the purchasing power of our overseas posts' local budgets. The decline in the value of the sterling created a potential funding pressure of £60 million in the 2008-09 financial year (as of December 2008). At current exchange rates we expect an additional pressure of up to £30 million to continue our activities at current levels in 2009-10. This does not include the pressure on international subscriptions and peacekeeping. The impact of this shortfall has been minimised through delayed activity, by making additional efficiency savings, and implementing a strategy of forward purchasing of foreign exchange.

Departmental Surveys

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the Cultural Audit commissioned by his Department.

David Miliband: A copy of the Cultural Audit will be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Telephone Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what use  (a) his Department and  (b) service providers under contract to his Department made of (i) 0844 and 0845 telephone numbers and (ii) revenue-sharing telephone numbers for calls from members of the public; for which services such numbers are used; what prefixes are used for revenue-sharing numbers; how much revenue has accrued from revenue-sharing numbers in each of the last five years; what consideration his Department has given to introducing 03-prefixed telephone numbers for calls to all such services; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has a Travel Advice line (0845 850 28290). The line offers an alternative method for accessing the same travel advice available on the FCO website. In the last six months, 2,642,989 people accessed FCO Travel Advice from the website, 52,251 used the Travel Advice phone line. Calls are charged at the standard rate from a British Telecom line (up to 5p/m) and the FCO receives no financial benefit from the arrangement. We are committed to providing the best possible service to British nationals seeking advice on living and travelling abroad and as part of this ongoing process the introduction of an 03 number will be considered as part of this year's Review of Consular Services.
	UKVisas became part of the UK Border Agency International on 1 April 2008. Until that time, UKVisas was part of the FCO. UKVisas did maintain a live 0870 public inquiry line, but this service is not now operational and is unlikely to be used in the future.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1794W, what the  (a) duration and  (b) cost was of the training he received; and which organisations supplied the training.

Caroline Flint: Since June 2007, £6,700 has been spent on training for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on the presentation of foreign policy issues, and £85 on IT training.

Diplomatic Service

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many embassy and consular staff of each grade work in posts in  (a) Germany,  (b) France,  (c) Russia,  (d) China,  (e) India,  (f) Brazil and  (g) the US.

Gillian Merron: The total number of UK civil servants currently serving at posts in these countries are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Germany 34 
			 France 45 
			 Russia 68 
			 China 157 
			 India 129 
			 Brazil 29 
			 United States 149 
		
	
	We are unable, for data protection reasons, to break the figures down by grade.

European Parliament

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has visited the European Parliament on official business in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has visited the EU Parliament on official business once in the last 12 months, on 8 October 2008.

Falkland Islands: Air Routes

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the economic effect on the Falkland Islands of recent increases in the cost of fares on the Falkland Islands airbridge; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The South Atlantic Air-bridge contributes to the social and economic development of the South Atlantic Overseas Territories through providing a link to Britain and the outside world, contributing to tourism, the movement of freight, and facilitating business opportunities. The Ministry of Defence has not raised the cost of fares on the South Atlantic Air-bridge since August 2008, which was in response to the global increase in the price of oil.

Gaza: Diplomatic Service

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports from UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen Abu-Zayd that Israel has stopped UN staff based in Gaza from using the diplomatic pouch; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) informs us that it has suspended the diplomatic bag in and out of Gaza since mid-November 2008 after incidents in early November when officials carrying the bag were turned back from Gaza. UNRWA is following up with the Israeli authorities and has not requested our assistance.

Group of Twenty: London Summit

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many unique visitors the website www.londonsummit.gov.uk has received.

Caroline Flint: The London Summit website received 74,922 unique visitors between 29 January 2009, the day the site went live, and 23 February 2009, the day before this response was prepared.

Guantanamo Bay: Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates the US authorities acceded to his request to return Guantanamo Bay detainee Mr. Binyam Mohamed to the UK; and what form the communication of this decision took.

David Miliband: Over the last 18 months we have worked long and hard to secure Mr. Binyam Mohamed's release from Guantanamo Bay and return to the UK. After Military Commission charges against Mr. Mohamed were dropped in October 2008, we held a series of positive discussions with the US on the principle of his return.
	President Obama's Executive Order of 22 January 2009 required a case-by-case assessment of all those detained at Guantanamo Bay. The new US Administration agreed to our request that Mr. Mohamed's case should be treated as a priority in this process. We concluded a written transfer arrangement for Mr. Mohamed's release and return on 20 February 2009, leading to his return to the UK on 23 February 2009.

Guantanamo Bay: Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date Mr. Binyam Mohamed is expected to return to the UK.

David Miliband: Mr. Binyam Mohamed returned to the UK on 23 February 2009 following his release from Guantanamo Bay.

Guantanamo Bay: Detainees

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the policy of the Government is in respect of the cases of  (a) Shaker Aamer,  (b) Ahmed Belbacha and  (c) Farhi Saeed bin Mohammed currently detained at Guantanamo Bay.

Bill Rammell: In order to support efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, the UK has sought the release and return of five individuals who had been legally resident in the UK prior to their detention.
	As a result of our representations, Mr. Abdennour Sameur, Mr. Jamil el Banna, Mr. Omar Deghayes and Mr. Binyam Mohamed have been returned to the UK. The US have so far declined to agree Mr. Shaker Aamer's return but we have made clear that our request for his release and return stands, should their position change.
	We are not seeking the release and return to the UK of Mr. Ahmed Belbacha, who we do not believe was here lawfully, or Mr. Farhi Saeed bin Mohammed, who we have no record of being in the UK.

Hezbollah and Hamas

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official contacts there have been in the last four weeks between the Government and  (a) Hezbollah and  (b) Hamas.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 9 February 2009
	On 9 January 2009, our ambassador in Beirut attended a meeting of British parliamentarians with the Lebanese Foreign Affairs Committee. Representatives of all main political parties in Lebanon were present, including one MP from Hezbollah's political wing. During this meeting, our ambassador stressed the importance of all sides respecting the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which established the terms of the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in August 2006.
	We do not believe it is productive to talk to Hamas directly. The Arab League has mandated Egypt to communicate with Hamas. We are in regular contact with both the Arab League and Egypt. Turkey, Syria, Qatar and others are also speaking to Hamas. The UK strongly supports intra-Palestinian reconciliation behind President Abbas which is the key for peace, stability and development.

Homecoming Scotland

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department  (a) has given and  (b) plans to give to the Homecoming Scotland 2009 initiative.

Gillian Merron: Following a request from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Murphy), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has taken the following steps:
	Details of the initiative were published automatically on all FCO English language post websites (approx 150 countries).
	We asked Scotland's 10 priority-country FCO websites to create a 'feature box' on their homepage. An example is on
	http://ukincanada.fco.gov.uk/en
	Further website publicity for this initiative will be provided during the course of the year.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the arrest and charge of seven members of the Baha'i leadership in Iran on 11 February 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We have received several worrying reports confirming that the seven leading members of the Iranian Baha'i community have been charged with spying for Israel, "insulting religious sanctities" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic"—charges which could carry the death penalty. We are concerned about the conditions under which they are being detained and that they have been systematically refused access to their lawyer. Reports suggest that the seven individuals are due to face trial in the coming weeks.
	We are monitoring the situation closely and have called for Iran to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings and to reconsider the charges brought against these individuals.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iranian authorities to allow independent observers to be present at any trial of the seven members of the Baha'i leadership in Iran charged on 11 February 2009.

Caroline Flint: We have called repeatedly for the Iranian government to release the seven leading members of the Iranian Baha'i community. Having been held for so long without due process, we are concerned that they may not receive a fair trial now that they have been formally charged.
	My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Bill Rammell, issued a statement on 16 February 2009, which was backed by an EU statement on 17 February 2009, expressing our concern and calling for the Iranian government to ensure that their trial is fair and to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings. The statement may be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/
	We urge Iran to respect and protect its religious minorities and free all prisoners held due to their faith or religious practice.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which members of the pre-March 2003 Iraqi government have been detained by coalition forces or the Iraqi government since that time; for what period each was detained; whether each is still detained; and when charges were brought against each such detainee.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows the details requested by my hon. Friend:
	
		
			  Name  Position  Date  c aptured  Date c harged  Case 
			 Ali Hassan Al Majjid Abdul Khafor Revolutionary Command Council 23 September 2003 March 2006 Anfal case. Convicted. Sentenced to death. 
			May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced to death 
			 Abd Hamid Mahmoud Al Nassiri National Security Advisor Presidential Secretary 24 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced to 15 years. 
			 Tariq Aziz Deputy Prime Minister 25 September 2003 April 2008 Merchants case, verdict pending. 
			 Sulayman Ulwan Ibrahim Al Huryamis Al Nasiri Deputy Director for Special Security, Personal Secretary for Uday Hussein 7 February 2005 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted 
			 Mezher Norman Waheb Al Duri Director of Iraqi Intelligence Service 18 March 2004 — Pending release 
			 Muzahim Sab Hassan Al Tikriti Commander, Iraqi Air Force 25 September 2003 — 1991, Marsh Arabs 
			 Jamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan Al-Tikriti Assistant to Minister of Tribal Affairs, Secretary to Presidential Secretary 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Oklah Abd Sikr In charge of Misan's Ba'ath party organization, Member Security Committee in Misan 25 September 2003 February 2009 Friday Prayers. Verdict pending 
			 Latif Nasif Jassim Director Ba'ath Party's Military Bureau 25 September 2003 February 2009 Friday Prayers. Verdict pending. 
			 Mohammed Zmam Abdul Razak Minister of Interior  February 2009 Friday Prayers. Verdict pending. 
			 Watban Ibrahim Al Hassan Minister of Interior/Presidential Advisor 25 September 2003 April 2008 Merchants. Verdict pending. 
			 Hikmat Muzban Ibrahim Al Azawi Finance Minister/Deputy Prime Minister 26 September 2003 — Religious Parties 
			 Muhammad Mahdi Al-Salih Minister of Trade 25 September 2003 — Kuwait, wasting national wealth, ethnic cleansing, Marsh Arabs 
			 Zuhayr Talib Abd Al Salih Director of Military Intelligence 25 September 2003 — 1991, Marsh Arabs 
			 Waleed Hamed Tawfeek Al Tikriti Brigade Commander for Republican Guards 29 April 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced, 15 years. 
			 Amir Muhammad Al Ubaydi Oil Minister/Presidential Advisor 25 September 2005 — Marsh Arabs, wasting national wealth 
			 Sameer Abdul Aziz Al Najim Oil Minister/Presidential Advisor 25 September 2003 — 1991, Marsh Arabs, Friday Prayers 
			 Lu'ay Khayrallah Closest companion of Uday Hussein 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Furat Abdul Rasman Obaydi Al Ani Director of Saddam's State Establishment 25 September 2003 — Pending release 
			 Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan Al-Tikriti Assistant to Minister of Tribal Affairs, Secretary to Presidential Secretary 25 September 2003 — 1991 
			 Aziz Salih Al Noman Ba'ath Party Official, Multiple government offices 25 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced 
			 Ayyad Futuyyih Al Rawi Republican Guard Commander 25 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced 
			 Hamid Raja Sahiah Al Tikriti Commander Iraqi Air Force Unknown — Marsh Arabs 
			 Taher Tawfiq Al Ani Governor of Mosul, Multiple government positions 25 September 2003 — Anfal—Acquitted Marsh Arabs 
			 Ibrahim Ahmad Abd Al Sattar Chief of Staff for Iraqi Armed Forces 25 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced, Life. 
			 Muneem Kadhum Hussein Al Samaria Bomb Maker 26 September 2003 — 1991, Marsh Arabs 
			 Saif Al-Dein A Mashhadani General Secretary of the Presidential Divan 25 September 2003 February 2009 Friday Prayers. Verdict pending. 
			 Abid Hamid Mahmud Al Tikriti President's Personal Secretary, Multiple Government Positions 24 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced 15 years 
			 Mizban Khidir Hadi Revolutionary Command Council member 24 September 2003 April 2008 Merchants case, verdict pending. 
			 Barzan Abdul Ghafoor Sulaiman Majid Al Tikriti Commander Special Republican Guard 24 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Mahmud Dhiyab Al-Ahmadi Minister of Interior, Minister of Irrigation, Minister of Housing 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Khamis Sirhan Bashir Ba'ath Party Regional Chairman 3 February 2004 — Pending Release 
			 Moshen Khudr Abbas Al Khafaji Ba'ath Party Official 10 February 2004 — Religious Parties 
			 Mohammed Zimam Adb Al Razzaq A Sadun Minister of Interior 18 February 2004 February 2009 Friday Prayers. Verdict pending. 
			 Hani Abdel Latif Tolfah Al Tikriti Deputy Director of SSO 21 June 2004 — 1991 
			 Saad Salhih Ahmad Special Republican Guard 21 June 2004 January 2009 Fayli Kurds. Verdict pending. 
			 Suhayl Mohammed Juma Al Duri High Ranking SSO Officer 10 September 2004 — Release Pending 
			 Q'aed Hussein Hueidi Al Awadi Senior Ba'ath Party Official 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs, Assassination of Independent Figures. 
			 Hussein Rashid Mohamed Al Tikriti Commander, Republican Guard 25 September 2003 March 2006 Anfal case. Convicted. Sentenced, death. 
			 Sultan Hashim Ahmad Al Jabburi Al Taie Minister of Defense 25 September 2003 March 2006 Anfal case. Convicted. Sentenced, death. 
			 Haitham Abdel Hamad Director, Counter Intelligence 21 August 2003 — Released. 
			 Abdul Hameed Salman Iraqi Intelligence Service 7 February 2005 January 2009 Fayli Kurds. Verdict pending. 
			 Abdul Kareem Hakim Nfoos Al Majeed Al Tikriti Commander, Republican Guard 7 February 2005 — 1991. 
			 Assad Mohamed Hasan Al Harke Deputy Leader of Al-Islam 4 January 2004 — Transferred to Kurdish Court 
			 Salman Duaud Sallumi Al Azawi Political Orientation Officer 8 January 1995 — Released 
			 Jassam Al Jabburi Awad Director, General Security 18 January 2005 — Deceased 
			 Khalil Khadir Mohamed Al Salhat Intelligence Service 26 September 2003 — Deceased 
			 Farooq Abdullah Yehya Hejazi Intelligence Officer 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs, Secular Parties 
			 Mahmud Fazi Al Hazza Military Commander 25 September 2003 February 2009 Friday Prayers. Verdict pending. 
			 Hazan Izbah Thalji Al Ubaydi Director, Iraqi Intelligence 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Sa'adon Shakir Mohammed Ahmed Al Member, Revolutionary Command Council 25 September 2003 January 2009 Fayli Kurds. Verdict pending. 
			 Hamid Yusef Hammadi Presidential Secretary 24 January 2006 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Ghalib Umar Maudi Al Duri Iraqi Intelligence Service 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Fadil Sulfaij Mohamed Iraqi Intelligence Service 26 September 2003 January 2009 Fayli Kurds. Verdict pending. 
			 Mohamed Faraj Bilal Al Samarra Official, National Monitoring Service 24 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Ma'ad Ibrahim Al Duri Director, Foreign Intelligence 25 September 2003 — Kuwait 
			 Abd Hasan Al Majid Deputy Director, General Security 25 September 2003 — 1991 
			 Mohamed Khudyar Sabah Director of M14 Operations 24 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Shihib Ahmad Hamada Ibrahim Al Abassi Suicide Bomber Program Leader 26 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Ahmad Hussein Khudayir Al Samarra Deputy Minister of Military Intelligence 25 September 2003 April 2008 Merchants case, verdict pending. 
			 Hashim Hassan Al Majid Governor of Babil and Kirkuk 24 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs, Ethnic Cleansing 
			 Abdul Hussein Mohamed Ba'ath Party General Secretary 25 September 2003 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Fadhil Abbas Ibrihim AI Ameri Commander, Al Mutaba's Prison 25 September 2003 January 2009 Fayli Kurds. Verdict pending. 
			 Issam Rashid Hwaish Director, Central Bank of Iraq 24 September 2003 April 2008 Merchants case, verdict pending. 
			 Numan Hasan Suliaman Iraqi Intelligence Service 22 December 2003 January 2009 Fayli Kurds. Verdict pending. 
			 Hamid Ismail Al Ruba'a Republican Guard Official 29 October 2004 — Released 
			 Muzhir Taha Ahamad A Jabbori Director, Iraqi Intelligence 31 December 2005 — Marsh Arabs 
			 Saaedi Toama Joubori Minister of Defense 29 October 2004 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced, 6-15 years 
			 Latif Mahal Humud Sabawi Ba'ath Party Official 18 March 2004 May 2007 1991 case. Acquitted. Still held in Marsh Arabs case. 
			 Sabir Aba Al Aziz Husayn Al Duri Director, Military Intelligence 25 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced, 6-15 years. 
			March 2006 Anfal case. Convicted. Sentenced, death 
			 Ayad Taha Shihab Al Douri Station Chief, Iraqi Embassy in Turkey 25 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Acquitted. 
			January 2009 Fayli Kurds. Verdict pending. 
			 Abdul Ghani Abdul Ghafur Ba'ath Party Secretary 25 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced, death 
			 Farhan Mutlaq Saleh Al Jabori Commander, Military Intelligence 25 September 2003 March 2006 Anfal case. Convicted. Sentence, life 
			 Oais Abdul Razzak Al Athami Governor of Kirkuk 25 September 2003 May 2007 1991 case. Convicted. Sentenced, 15 years. 
			 Sufyan Maher Hasan Al Tikriti Commander Republican Guard 25 July 2004 May 2007 1991 case. Acquitted.

Isle of Man: EU Grants and Loans

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding the Isle of Man has received from the European Union in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: Neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor the Ministry of Justice, the UK Department responsible for the UK's relationship with the Crown Dependencies, has knowledge of any funding received by the Isle of Man from the European Union in the last five years.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions he has condemned  (a) suicide and  (b) other terrorist attacks in Israel; if he will place in the Library a copy of each such statement; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have consistently made clear that rocket attacks directed against Israeli civilians are utterly unacceptable. We led the work on UN Security Council Resolution 1860 which "condemns all violence and hostilities directed at civilians and all acts of terrorism".
	This has been our longstanding policy and over the last year we issued statements addressing both rocket attacks and suicide attacks.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 2 March 2008 "I condemn the rocket attacks against Israel", and on 4 February 2009 "I utterly condemn this morning's suicide attack in Dimona".
	Further statements can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website,
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/statements/

Middle East: Armed Conflict

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of whether any of the weaponry or component parts thereof being used by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza has been manufactured in the UK or exported by a UK-registered company

Bill Rammell: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in his statement to the House on 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 21:
	"No arms exports are granted where there is a clear risk that those arms could be used for internal repression or external aggression, and that is surveyed very closely. Also, we have no evidence of any of the exports that he has pointed to being used in this operation."—[ Official Report, 12 January 2009; vol. 486, c.29.]

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral statement of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 21-38, on Gaza, what consideration he has given to referring the allegations made on the conduct of both sides to the International Criminal Court.

Bill Rammell: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the House on 19 January 2009,  Official Repor t, column 504:
	"allegations must be closely and speedily investigated. Obviously, the three key parties to that investigation are the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Government of Israel, and we are in touch with all of them."—[ Official Report, 19 January 2009; vol. 486, c.504.]

Middle East: Armed Conflict

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report of the Strategic Foresight Group on the Cost of Conflict in the Middle East.

Bill Rammell: The report of the Strategic Foresight Group on the Cost of Conflict in the Middle East highlights many of the negative consequences of the conflict. The Government share these concerns and continue to believe that a just and lasting peace is in the interests of all parties. We will continue to work to achieve such a peace.

Overseas Trade: Prices

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on support for the overseas price mechanism before the decision to withdraw support was taken.

David Miliband: There were extensive discussions between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and HM Treasury at Ministerial and official level in the lead-up to the announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review. They naturally covered the overseas price mechanism among other issues.

Sri Lanka: EU Action

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the Prime Minister's discussion with his EU counterparts on proposals to call for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.

Caroline Flint: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 739W. In a statement of 23 February 2009, EU Foreign Ministers called for an immediate ceasefire. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary issued a joint statement with the US Secretary of State on 3 February 2009, calling for a temporary no-fire period. Copies of both statements will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The UK remains committed to working with the Government of Sri Lanka and international partners to secure a lasting solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka.

Torture

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors his Department takes into account when making decisions on requests formally to espouse a legal claim of torture.

Caroline Flint: Where the Government consider that another Government is responsible under international law for an injury to a UK national, it may in certain circumstances take over and formally espouse a claim against that Government. Before that stage is reached the claimants should have made all possible effort to secure settlement of the claim through local or other legal remedies, if such remedies exist.
	Any individual request would be considered on a case by case basis. On receipt of such a request, the Government would consider what factors may be relevant at that time.

Uganda: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in peace talks with the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda, including talks with those who have recently defected from the LRA.

Caroline Flint: The Juba peace talks between the Government of Uganda and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) resulted in a negotiated Final Peace Agreement (FPA) initialled and agreed by the Government of Uganda and LRA negotiating teams. The agreement was originally due for signature in early April 2008 by President Museveni of Uganda and Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, in Juba, Southern Sudan. Mr. Kony refused to attend the signing ceremony on that occasion and failed to honour further commitments to sign the agreement at a later date. The Government of Uganda in co-operation with the Governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan subsequently initiated military action against the LRA on 14 December 2008.
	The FPA includes provision for reconciliation and the reintegration into Ugandan society of LRA defectors. The Government of Uganda has publicly stated that it is committed to honouring those commitments even in the absence of a signed FPA.

USA: Russia

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's foreign policy of changes in US foreign policy towards Russia.

Caroline Flint: The Government welcome the Obama Administration's readiness to make progress with Russia on non-proliferation and disarmament and other issues of importance, including Iran, security in Afghanistan and international economic reform.
	The US Administration's approach of engaging with Russia on key issues of mutual interest mirrors that of the UK. The Government will be working closely with the US Administration in this area.

Wang Bingzhang

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on  (a) the detention of Dr Wang Bingzhang by the Chinese authorities and  (b) the physical condition of Dr Wang Bingzhang; what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We have received reports that Dr. Wang Bingzhang is being held in Shaoguan Prison in Guangdong Province. There have been serious concerns about his health, and he is known to have gone on hunger strike in 2006. There are also reports that he has been punished for perceived bad behaviour.
	Wang's case was last raised on an EU-China case list in October 2005.

Written Questions: Government Responses

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to answer Question 242200, tabled on 5 December 2008, on Georgia.

David Miliband: This question was answered on 12 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2202W. The delay in answering was due to administrative error.

Written Questions: Government Responses

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to answer Question 246281, tabled on 17 December 2008, on the reorganisation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

David Miliband: This question was answered on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 373W. I apologise for the delay in replying.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 25 February 2009
	We continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, not least the on-going detention of political prisoners, credible reports of torture in custody and continuing suppression of peaceful protests.
	The international community has agreed clear conditions for substantive re-engagement with Zimbabwe, including respect for human rights and the rule of law.
	Initial indications of the new Government's commitment to respect for human rights and the rule of law include the release of political detainees. We will continue to monitor the situation on the ground closely.

Zimbabwe: Political Prisoners

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of political prisoners detained in Zimbabwe.

David Miliband: We understand there are roughly 30 to 40 political detainees in Zimbabwe. As I said in my press release of 11 February 2009, the release of all political detainees, and the rule of law more broadly, will be one of the conditions for sustained development support for the new Government.
	The press release may be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/

JUSTICE

Anti-Semitism: Children

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of verbally abusing Jewish children travelling to and from school in the last year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on court proceedings do not include information about the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute under which prosecutions are brought.

Civil Servants: Pay

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many bonus payments were made to  (a) senior civil servants and  (b) other staff in the (i) HM Courts Service, (ii) HM Prison Service, (iii) National Offender Management Service and (iv) Youth Justice Board in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: The information requested is as follows:
	(i)  HM Courts Service
	Across the MoJ, end year non-consolidated performance payments are paid to high performing members of the senior civil service (SCS) to reflect their individual contribution during the previous performance year. During the last 12 months, 35 members of the SCS in HMCS were paid non-consolidated performance pay for performance during the 2007-08 performance year.
	Payments of non-consolidated performance pay to staff below the SCS may be either "end of year" payments or "in year" payments.
	"End of year" payments of non-consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff who have performed at a level beyond that which would normally be expected throughout the performance year. 1,676 staff in HMCS (including Ministry of Justice HQ and the Tribunals Service) received end of year non-consolidated performance payments in the last 12 months. Payments were made in August 2008 at the time of the implementation of the 2008 pay award for performance during the 2007-08 performance year.
	"In year" payments of non-consolidated performance pay are one-off payments to staff who have made an exceptional contribution on specific occasions. It is not possible to provide details of these payments made to staff in HMCS in the last 12 months, as distinct from those working in other parts of the Ministry of Justice, other than at a disproportionate cost. However, during the financial year 2007-08, 5,327 staff in HMCS (including MoJ HQ and the Tribunals Service) received "in year" non-consolidated performance pay.
	(ii)  HM Prison Service
	Since 1 April 2008 Her Majesty's Prison Service and the National Probation Service have been part of the National Offender Management Service.
	Details of the number of awards of non-consolidated performance pay to staff in HM Prison Service is available for the calendar year 2008. This is the most up-to-date data available without incurring disproportionate cost. During 2008, 29 members of the SCS received non-consolidated performance pay. In grades below the SCS 6,587 staff received non-consolidated performance pay during this period.
	In the National Probation Service during the last 12 months, payments of non-consolidated performance pay were made to the chief executives of the six Probation Trusts. These exceptional payments were made to recognise work involved from April 2007 to April 2008 in preparation for trust status.
	(iii)  National Offender Management Service
	The National Offender Management Service was established as an agency on 1 April 2008. The NOMS agency consists of HM Prison Service and the National Probation Service. The information contained in (ii) above covers both parts of the NOMS Agency.
	(iv)  Youth Justice Board
	In the 12 months to the 31st January 2009, the Youth Justice Board paid one member of the SCS non-consolidated performance pay. Thirty-five members of staff received "in year" non-consolidated performance pay. Twenty-one members of staff received "end of year" non-consolidated performance pay.

Coroners and Justice Bill 2008-09

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department will take if the Sentencing Council for England and Wales advises that there are insufficient resources to allow for the full implementation of an aspect of legislation, as provided for under the terms of clause 110 of the Coroners and Justice Bill, following the enactment of subsequent legislation.

Maria Eagle: The provisions in the Coroners and Justice Bill propose that a sentencing council will have a duty to monitor the impact of sentencing guidelines and to make assessments of the impact of Government proposals referred to it by the Lord Chancellor on prison, probation and youth justice services.
	The proposed duties of the council in clauses 110 and 114 of the Bill are to make an assessment of the impact of guidelines or legislation, not to advise whether it is affordable. While it is proposed that the council will provide the Government with impact assessments it also proposed that it will remain the case that the Government alone are responsible for the way in which money voted by Parliament is spent and for making arrangements for the commencement of legislative provisions.

Coroners and Justice Bill 2008-09

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to undertake a privacy impact assessment of the provisions on information sharing orders contained in the Coroners and Justice Bill.

Jack Straw: The proposed information sharing clauses in the Coroners and Justice Bill would provide the power to make information sharing orders, providing certain conditions are met. The power in the Bill does not, in itself, allow personal information to be shared. Therefore, we do not plan to carry out a privacy impact assessment on the proposals in the Bill; rather such assessments will be a mandatory requirement for all orders proposed under the power in the Bill.

Crime: Economic Situation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to provide additional resources to  (a) the police,  (b) the courts,  (c) the probation service and  (d) prisons as a consequence of any changes to the level of crime during 2010 and 2011 resulting from the recession.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor's reply on 3 February 2009,  Official Report , column 1166W. There are no plans to increase the Department's budget, which was agreed in the comprehensive spending review 2007. Forecasts of demand for services have been taken into account when agreeing allocations to business groups for 2009-10, and there are no plans to provide additional resources for this year. Forecasts of demand will again be taken into account when agreeing financial allocations to departmental business groups for 2010-11, but these have not yet been agreed. The Department has set up a Performance and Efficiency programme to deliver ways of working more efficiently in order to deliver our objectives from within existing budgets. Police funding is the responsibility of the Home Office and not the Ministry of Justice.

Crime: Victims

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the services provided to victims of crime.

Maria Eagle: The Government have a comprehensive strategy to help victims of crime access appropriate services. We recently appointed a victims champion who will listen to the views of victims and the community and make recommendations on how to improve the system.
	Since introducing a statutory code of practice for victims of crime which established minimum rights for victims, we continue to embed best practice across the CJS agencies. This includes working with local criminal justice boards to ensure they have comprehensive victim and witness strategies that make a difference on the ground.
	We recognise the importance of working with third-sector organisations to deliver direct services for victims. We recently provided additional funding for the national organisation Victim Support to introduce an improved business process, so that victims can be contacted more quickly, have their needs assessed and offered a wider range of practical services than was previously available.
	The Government have invested further resources into specialist services for victims. This includes sexual assault referral centres, independent domestic violence and sexual violence advisors and national and local specialist third-sector organisations. We have also made legal changes that will impact on certain victims: for example we ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against the Trafficking in Human Beings creating minimum protection rights.
	The recently published Youth Crime Action Plan sets out how we will improve support for young victims of crime. The plan has been developed jointly between the OCJR, Ministry of Justice, the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Home Office.
	The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's major reform programme completely overhauled the case working processes. This included the introduction of geographically based teams; a new in-house telephone support service and the development of a new case working model placing greater emphasis on applicant support and focussing resources at the front end of the case working process.

Departmental Buildings

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in each year since the Department's inception; how much has been spent on wallpaper in that time; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.

Maria Eagle: The total expenditure for the provision of maintenance, decoration and additional costs to the Ministry of Justice HQ estate for period May 2007 to November 2008 is £4,099.439. There are no current plans for future spend on departmental decoration for the next two years on the HQ estate.

Departmental Furniture

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many items of furniture  (a) were purchased and  (b) remained in use following the refurbishment of 102 Petty France.

Jack Straw: Phase 1 of the London Accommodation Programme (LAP) rationalised a number of MOJ buildings:
	Selborne House (1,209 staff)
	Abbey Orchard Street (353 staff)(1)
	Steel House (221 staff)
	together with a further six London locations, affecting an additional 330 staff. This has resulted in 2,113 staff moving into the refurbished 102 Petty France.
	(1 )Abbey Orchard Street was released fully furnished to Legal Services Commission
	The original design capacity of the refurbished 102 Petty France was for 2,275 desks. Through the introduction of flexible workspace arrangements—moving
	from a 1:1 to an 80 per cent. average desk allocation and utilising 1600mm workstations—by August 2009, 102 Petty France will be able to accommodate approximately 3,300 staff. This will enable MoJ to reduce further the number of buildings it occupies. The projected savings from this estate rationalisation are approximately £10 million per year.
	An early review of existing furniture in the affected offices identified three broad categories:
	suitable for re-use within 102 Petty France:
	suitable for re-use within MoJ and other Government departments;
	furniture at the end of life and/or requiring refurbishment.
	Damaged or unsuitable furniture has been disposed of via Greenworks—a not-for-profit enterprise—who will refurbish and distribute to charities, schools or small businesses.
	This "cascade" policy has resulted in a zero landfill outcome. The units are summarised in the following table:
	
		
			  Furniture group  Purchased  Re-used  Greenworks 
			 Workstations 1,955 665 656 
			 Task Chairs 1,955 925 720 
			 Meeting rooms 732 328 360 
			 Pedestals 0 334 308 
			 Business Storage 1,200 481 327 
			 Miscellaneous 522 147 199 
			 Total 6,364 2,880 2,570

Departmental Plants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on cut flowers in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The purchase of cut flowers has now ceased across the estate. Upon retender of the FM contract, the provision of cut flowers was seen as an area for immediate cost reduction and duly ceased in August 2008.
	The total expenditure for the cut flowers across the Ministry of Justice HQ estate (formerly Department of Constitutional Affairs) between fiscal years 2006 to 2009 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 13,685.15 
			 2007-08 13,304.73 
			 2008-09 6,113.55

Government Departments: Privacy

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 871W, on Government Departments: privacy, how many privacy impact assessments for Government projects have been commissioned.

Jack Straw: No central records are kept of the number of privacy impact assessments (PIAs) commissioned by Government Departments. The Data Handling Review mandated that all Government Departments carry out PIAs on new policies affecting privacy; there is no obligation to report these to MoJ.

Judges: Public Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) black persons,  (b) Asian persons,  (c) women and  (d) men were appointed as judges in 2008.

Jack Straw: There were 309 salaried judges and fee-paid judges appointed to courts and tribunals in England and Wales in 2008. Of these, 117 (37.8 per cent.) were women and 192 (62.1 per cent.) were men. We do not hold the ethnic breakdown in the form requested, but 28 (9 per cent.) appointees described their ethnicity as other than white, with 17 (5.5 per cent.) appointees not responding.

Offenders: Housing

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what period  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public will have to make representations to agents acting for the National Offender Management Serviceprior to any purchase of property for subsequent use as housing under accommodation and support services for bail and home detention curfew provision.

David Hanson: It is my practice to write to the appropriate hon. Member when this service is made available in his or her constituency. Planning permission is not required and there is no formal period for representations. For the most part the houses used for this service are leased, not purchased, by the contractor. The houses are the private rented homes of those living in them and it is not appropriate to consult local residents or the wider public. People bailed by the courts or released from prison return to live in the community without hon. Members or the public having any input as to where they may reside. It would be inappropriate and inequitable to identify as defendants or offenders those living at an address rented through ClearSprings when others on bail and home detention curfew living at private addresses are not subject to such identification. The contractor does consult the police, local authority and probation about the location of properties and they are provided with the opportunity to provide comments.
	Hon. Members may write to the contractor at any time and I am always ready to consider representations from hon. Members before or after houses for this service are established in a constituency. The National Offender Management Service, regional offender managers and directors of offender management determine where the contractor is asked to source property. The requirement is defined in terms of towns and boroughs, not by constituency.
	Members of the public are of course free to write at any time to the contractor, to the Ministry of Justice or to myself.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of offenders on the end of custody licence schemes have not completed their rehabilitation while in prison.

Jack Straw: Rehabilitation may be a long and complex process and it is not always possible to determine when it is complete. Rehabilitation may continue to be provided on release from prison; this may be in the form of supervision by Probation Services according to sentence length, and/or assistance with accommodation, employment, resettlement, programmes, treatment or other support. This is risk and needs-assessed on an individual basis and in accordance with the sentence plan.
	In custody, of the prisoners who participated in offending behaviour programmes in 2007-08. 0.03 per cent. failed to complete due to release and during the same period 5 per cent. of prisoners failed to complete drug treatment programmes due to release. The percentage of these who were released on ECL cannot be disaggregated without disproportionate cost as each prisoner record would have to be checked individually.
	Prisoners required to undertake a treatment programme as a condition of their supervision licence are excluded from release on ECL unless arrangements can be made for the programme to be followed in the community.

Political Parties: Finance

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the regulations relating to donating to political parties in order to encourage smaller donations from a wider number of individuals.

Michael Wills: There are no such plans. The Government believe it is for political parties to decide how to conduct their fundraising activities within the legislative framework. One potential option to change the legislative framework would be to introduce a cap on the level of permissible donations, and an associated increase in the amount of public funding available to parties. This option was put to the major political parties following the review conducted by Sir Hayden Phillips in 2007. However, the inter-party talks that followed that review did not result in agreement to proceed with the wider package of reforms that Sir Hayden recommended to the party funding legislation.
	The Government's White Paper, "Party finance and expenditure in the United Kingdom" (CM7329) considered the issues of donation caps and public funding in considerable detail. The Government believe that any arrangements for increased public funding and associated cap on donations would need to be considered carefully as part of a wider public debate. There would need to be clear support from both the public and political parties before such steps could be taken. It is not clear that such a broad consensus of support currently exists. However, the Government stands ready to continue that debate.

Prisoners Release: Reoffenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mandatory life sentence prisoners released on licence in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available have reoffended, broken down by offences committed.

David Hanson: The only centrally held data on prisoners who reoffend while on licence are in respect of those offenders who are recalled to prison for reoffending. This information is available only from 2003 onwards.
	Our records show that for the period from 1 January 2003 until 17 February 2009, there were 758 releases recorded of mandatory life sentenced prisoners, of which 48 (6.3 per cent.) were recalled and subsequently found guilty of a further offence or offences.
	In addition, we have recorded a further 17 who were released prior to 2003, were recalled over the same period and subsequently found guilty of a further offence or offences.
	This gives a total of 65 mandatory life licences recalled and convicted for further offences from 1 January 2003 to 17 February 2009.
	The offences committed while on licence are listed as follows in order of recall.
	
		
			  Date of release  Date of recall  Further offence 
			 2003 2003 Supplying drugs 
			 2001 2003 Affray 
			 2003 2003 Common assault 
			 2000 2003 Grievous bodily harm 
			 2000 2004 Burglary 
			 2003 2004 Obtaining property by deception 
			 2003 2004 Robbery 
			 2001 2004 Murder 
			 1999 2004 Possession of Firearm 
			 2002 2004 Suspicion of Murder 
			 2004 2004 GBH 
			 2003 2004 Wounding 
			 2003 2005 Robbery 
			 2003 2005 Sexual activity with a minor 
			 2004 2005 Aggravated bodily harm x2 
			 2004 2005 Assault 
			 2004 2005 Driving while disqualified 
			 2004 2005 Theft 
			 2000 2005 Assault occasioning ABH 
			 2004 2005 Burglary 
			 2004 2005 Assault 
			 2005 2005 Rape 
			 2001 2005 Indecent exposure 
			 2004 2005 Public order 
			 2004 2005 Aggravated taking a vehicle without consent/driving under the influence of alcohol 
			 2001 2005 Assault 
			 2004 2005 Public order 
			 2004 2005 Attempted murder/conspiracy to rob/possession of firearm 
			 1998 2005 Common assault 
			 2003 2006 Aggravated taking without consent 
			 2005 2006 Indecent assault x2/rape x2 
			 2005 2006 Threatening behaviour 
			 2005 2006 Incitement to rape x2/abduction 
			 2004 2006 Threats to kill 
			 2003 2006 Going equipped to steal 
			 2004 — Criminal damage 
			 2006 2006 Possession of firearms/drugs 
			 2006 2006 Burglary/common assault 
			 2005 2006 Threats to kill/criminal damage 
			 2003 2006 Making threats 
			 2004 2006 Section 18: wounding 
			 2005 2006 Driving: excess alcohol 
			 1998 2006 Assault 
			 2003 2006 Criminal assault; criminal damage 
			 2003 2006 Evasion of excise duty 
			 2005 2006 Murder 
			 1997 2006 Threats to kill 
			 2005 2006 Criminal damage 
			 2003 2006 Threatened taxi driver with knife 
			 1999 2006 Indecent exposure 
			 1997 2006 Common assault 
			 2004 2007 Drink-driving 
			 2006 2007 Common assault 
			 2001 2007 Driving without insurance/reckless driving 
			 2003 2007 Driving without insurance 
			 2002 2007 Assault 
			 2005 2007 Kidnapping 
			 1998 2007 Benefit fraud 
			 2003 2008 Possession of a bladed article 
			 2005 2008 Burglary 
			 2004 2008 Assault 
			 2008 2008 Possession of a weapon 
			 2006 2008 False imprisonment/theft 
			 2007 2008 Section 39: assault/threats to kill 
			 2007 2008 Common assault 
		
	
	These figures come from a manual National Offender Management Service database and, as with any such recording system, are subject to errors relating to data provided and recorded.

Probation Officers: Manpower

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of trainee probation officers who qualified in 2008 and thereafter applied to join the Probation Service have not subsequently been employed by the Probation Service; and for what reason each was not employed.

David Hanson: Of the 472 who qualified in 2008, 436 were offered employment as probation officers. Of the ones not offered employment: two left the service of their own volition; 18 were employed as PSOs (pending PO vacancies); three were unsuccessful at the internal interview for employment and 11 were deemed appointable but not offered employment because there were insufficient PO or PSO posts available.

Tobacco: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of guidelines on sentencing for offences relating to the smuggling and supply of illegal and counterfeit tobacco.

Maria Eagle: I understand that the independent Sentencing Guidelines Council will issue a draft guideline on fraud for consultation shortly. This is expected to cover the offence of fraudulent evasion or attempt at evasion of any duty chargeable on goods, including tobacco. The Government will respond in due course.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Theatres: Young People

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in implementing his Department's scheme to provide young people with greater access to theatres; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress his Department has made in its scheme offering young people access to theatre.

Barbara Follett: Arts Council England officially launched A Night Less Ordinary on 10 February. The scheme will provide approximately 618,000 free theatre tickets to under 26-year-olds over a two year period. Over 200 venues are involved in the scheme. My Department is supporting this initiative, which will help theatres fill their seats while building the audience of the future.

UK Film Industry

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the recent performance of the UK film industry.

Barbara Follett: The United Kingdom's film industry is, I am glad to say, performing very well indeed, box office take was £100 million in January and the three most successful releases last year were British made.
	In addition, British films have had unprecedented success in this year's awards season and I would like to congratulate all the British winners at the Oscars, the Baftas and the golden globes—especially Danny Boyle and all those involved with "Slumdog Millionaire"; and Kate Winslet. A mention also to Simon Chinn who got best documentary feature for "Man on Wire" (which received substantial funding from the UK film council).
	But, that said, film production fell in the UK during 2008 but we are working closely with the UK film council to ensure better results in 2009.

Free Swimming Schemes

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authorities are planning to take part in both the under 16-year-old and over 60-year-old free swimming initiatives.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Of the 354 eligible local authorities, 208 are planning to take part in both the under 16-year-old and over 60-year-old elements of the Government's Free Swimming Programme.

Cricket

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the England and Wales Cricket Board on the future of cricket in this country; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: I regularly meet the England and Wales Cricket Board to discuss current issues and the future of the sport in this country.
	The increased popularity of cricket in England and Wales combined with the strength of the domestic and international game will ensure that cricket in this country has a strong future.

Sport: Young People

Liz Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many young people participated in regular sport  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The percentage of pupils aged five to 16 that have participated in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week has increased from 62 per cent. to 90 per cent. between 2003-04 and 2007-08. Comparable data are not available prior to 2003-04.

Audio Description

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to publicise the availability of audio description via a single button on set-top boxes in advance of the digital switchover in south Wales.

Andy Burnham: Information about the benefits of audio description and easy-to-use remote controls is contained in material that is sent to all people eligible for the Help Scheme.

Horse Racing

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the current economic downturn on the future of horse racing; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government recognise the important contribution of horse racing to national and local economies and my Department is working closely with the British Horseracing Association and others to monitor the impact of the economic downturn on the industry.
	It is too early to make any assessment of economic trends in relation to horse racing, but we will continue to monitor the situation as we will do for other sectors for which my Department is responsible.

Publishing

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the recommendations contained in the interim "Digital Britain" report on the publishing industry; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Government recognise the importance of a vibrant publishing sector which contributes not only to the cultural and educational needs of our society but also with a turnover in excess of £18 billion, makes a significant contribution to the economy. It is a core part of the creative industries sector and a significant export earner.
	The importance of publishing is reflected in the objectives laid out in the interim report of the Digital Britain initiative.

Gloucester City AFC

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will visit Gloucester City AFC to discuss the relocation of its ground.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have no plans to visit Gloucester City Football Club however I commend my hon. Friend for his continued efforts on behalf of the club and for his recent success in securing an adjournment debate on this subject.
	The Department is aware of this issue and I understand Gloucester City Football Club has been working with the Football Association, Gloucester city council and county council to find a permanent home ground for the club.
	Understandably there is a desire for a site to be found in the Gloucester area, not least to preserve local support, so I strongly advise the club to continue its discussions with the city and county councils as they are in the best position to assist in arriving at a positive outcome.

Local Television News

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the future provision of local television news; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Ofcom is creating more opportunities for local TV in the UK by releasing geographically targeted interleaved spectrum for auction. Ofcom has also commissioned analysis of the economic sustainability of different types of local television services. It will be important in considering local TV services to do so in the context of a sustainable local media ecology, also including print, radio, the internet and other relevant media.

Arts: Government Assistance

Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards meeting each of the objectives of the creative economy programme.

Andy Burnham: Working with our partners in other Government Departments and public and private sector organisations, DCMS' Creative Economy Programme has made good progress on realising the ambitions of Creative Britain in the year since publication. Covering talent, supporting creative businesses and clusters, Intellectual Property and innovation, the 26 commitments in Creative Britain seek to increase the contribution of the 13 creative sectors to the UK economy. Of the 26 commitments, 18 are now either well under way or completed.
	I am arranging for copies of a document providing a specific update on each of the 26 commitments to be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts: Government Assistance

Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial support his Department is making available to small and medium-sized enterprises in the creative industries which are in difficulties during the economic slowdown.

Andy Burnham: The Government are providing real help now to small and medium based enterprises which are in difficulties during the economic slowdown, including those within the creative industries.
	Information on the support and advice available to all small and medium based enterprises can be accessed via the portal on the Business Link website:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp
	Support available includes free health checks for businesses, help with accessing finance, and advice on a range of business issues, including cash flow and training.
	Much of the real help on offer is part of solutions for business - the Government's streamlined portfolio of publicly-funded business support products and services, delivered via Business Link, which provides comprehensive assistance to help companies start, grow and succeed.
	In February 2008 the Government published "Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy" which set out 26 commitments to support the creative industries. One of the commitments of Creative Britain has been to look at how Business Link works with the creative industries. It will also produce a framework for evaluation of future work with creative industries, allowing individual business links to monitor their performance which should lead to an improvement of the support given to creative industries businesses by business links. This report will be completed by the end of April.

Departmental Data Protection

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy for his Department to sign the Information Commissioner's Personal Information Promise.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government welcomed the promise as a commendable initiative to raise awareness of the importance of effective data protection safeguards, particularly for those organisations with no similar commitments already in place.
	The Government take data protection very seriously. Following the Cabinet Office Review of Data Handling Procedures in Government, Departments have implemented a raft of measures to improve data security.
	The Ministry of Justice is considering actively with the Information Commissioner's Office how the promise might add additional value to those measures we have already signed up to. These include the information charters, the recommendations of the data handling review and the Thomas/Walport Review and, of course, our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 and other legislation and regulations.

Departmental Regulation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his latest estimate is of the cost to UK businesses of regulation within the responsibility of his Department.

Andy Burnham: The current estimate of the administrative burden of regulation which is the responsibility of DCMS, as measured by the Standard Cost Model, is £187.5 million. This figure represents a reduction of 45 per cent. against the baseline of legislation in place in May 2005. Further information on these costs and action to make further savings can be found in the Department's latest simplification plan, published in December 2008:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/Simplification_Plan_2008.pdf

Digital Broadcasting

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the overlap between the 2 per cent. of households that cannot receive digital satellite services and the estimated 1.5 per cent. who will not have to be provided with a digital terrestrial signal after switchover; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: There has been no formal assessment of this overlap. However, research to estimate digital satellite coverage was carried out by Ofcom's predecessor, the Independent Television Commission, in 1999.
	This research arrived at the 98 per cent. coverage figure which found that the main contributory factor which resulted in 2 per cent. of households being unable to receive any satellite signals was man-made obstructions in built-up areas. For terrestrial transmission, the opposite situation to satellite applies, with transmitters located so as to serve population centres. The locations not covered by these transmitters are largely in remote, sparsely populated areas. This means that the overlap between the 2 per cent. for satellite and 1.5 per cent. for terrestrial digital TV should be very small.

Digital Broadcasting: Disadvantaged

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research his Department has undertaken into the UK digital divide since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 2001 the Government have commissioned a number of research reports on the UK digital divide through various UK Government Departments.
	A copy of the full list will be placed in the Library.

Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by his Department is in 2008-09.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department has one vacant property, Oceanic House, recorded on the e-PIMS database. This has been vacant throughout 2008-09. Oceanic House is a listed building and is exempt from business rates while it is empty.

Gambling Commission: Pay

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Gambling Commission spent on bonuses for its staff in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission have advised that the following amounts have been paid to Gambling Commission employees in bonuses in each of the last three years. Bonus payments relate to performance in the period from 1 October to 30 September each year and are paid in November of that year.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2006-07 (1)56,071 
			 2007-08 94,360 
			 2008-09 97,433 
			 (1) The bonus payments in 2006-07 relate to the year preceding September 2006 when the Gambling Commission was still recruiting its full complement of staff.

Heathrow Airport: Tourism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the implications of the Government's proposals to develop Heathrow Airport on tourism to the UK.

Barbara Follett: No specific assessment has been carried out. However, the response from the tourism travel sector to the decision by the Department for Transport to approve the development of a third runway for Heathrow airport has been broadly positive.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the £1,650,000 transferred to his Department from the Department for International Development in respect of projects connected to the London 2012 Olympics will be spent on.

Andy Burnham: The transfer of £1.65 million from the Department for International Development formed part of the DFID funding commitment for the International Inspiration programme.
	The International Inspiration programme has received the formal backing of the International Olympic Committee and funding commitments were announced in November 2008.

Recreation: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public open space there is in  (a) each principal seaside town and  (b) each (i) ward and (ii) lower layer super output area in each seaside town.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Swimming Pools

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public swimming pools have closed in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised they collect data on the number of public swimming pool openings and closures in England. Sport England did not keep figures on public swimming pool closures prior to 2004 and figures for 2008 are still being compiled. The number of public swimming pool openings and closures for which figures are available is as follows:
	
		
			   Pools o pened  Pools c losed 
			 2004 117 13 
			 2005 93 60 
			 2006 87 58 
			 2007 57 33

TRANSPORT

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 930W, on apprentices, what progress his Department has made towards meeting its share of the Government's commitment to employ over 1,000 apprentices in central Government departments and agencies in 2008-09; and how many apprentices his Department now employs.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) on Tuesday 24 February,  Official Report, column 740-41W.
	The Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency have since registered a further 91 modern apprenticeships giving a Department for Transport total of 175 apprenticeships for the period 2008-09.

Aviation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his meetings with  (a) BAA on 15 October 2008,  (b) British Airways on 20 October 2008 and  (c) Virgin on 23 October 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his officials' meetings with  (a) BAA on 26 August 2008,  (b) BAA on 3 September 2008,  (c) BAA on 18 September 2008,  (d) BAA on 3 October 2008,  (e) the Confederation of British Industry on 23 October 2008,  (f) BAA on 6 November 2008,  (g) the Airport Operators Association on 7 November 2008,  (h) BAA on 14 November 2008 and  (i) BAA on 24 November 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his predecessor's meetings with  (a) BAA on 23 July 2008 and  (b) BAA on 4 September 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 26 February 2009
	It is not the normal practice of the Government to release details of meetings with private individuals or companies.

Bus Services: Concessions

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) elderly and  (b) disabled people in England affected by the withdrawal of (i) companion passes for those accompanying (A) deafblind and (B) other disabled people and (ii) peak travel entitlement since the introduction of the national concessionary bus fares scheme.

Paul Clark: The Government do not hold figures for the number of authorities offering companion passes and peak travel entitlement as they are not part of the statutory minimum entitlement. Consequently the Government also do not hold figures for the number of elderly and disabled people affected by the withdrawal of such concessions by local authorities.
	Companion passes and peak travel entitlement are offered to eligible concessionaires at the discretion of individual local authorities based on their judgment of local needs and circumstances and their overall financial priorities. The introduction of the national concessionary travel scheme has not affected the flexibility of local authorities to offer such discretionary concessions.

Conwy Valley Railway Line

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the standard of maintenance of the Conwy Valley Line against the Route Availability 07 standards provided for by Network Rail.

Paul Clark: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to her question:
	Iain Coucher,
	Chief Executive,
	Network Rail,
	Kings Place,
	90 York Way,
	London, N1 9AG.

Departmental Leave

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1384W, on departmental leave, why four out of the seven bargaining units in his Department do not grant disability leave to staff; and what assessment has been made of the compatibility of this practice with his Department's disability equality duties.

Geoff Hoon: Those bargaining units without a specific disability leave policy always give consideration to staff requests for time off for disability related medical appointments and rehabilitation. This is done on a case by case basis. Provision is also available to line managers to permit absence during working hours for rehabilitation, assessment or treatment.
	Consideration is also given to making reasonable adjustments for staff with a disability such as reduced hours or change of working patterns where appropriate to enable them to attend the workplace in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Departmental Sick Leave

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department or its predecessors were on sick leave for  (a) over 30 days,  (b) over 50 days and  (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The numbers of Department for Transport staff on sick leave within the above parameters are:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Working days  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  (a) over 30 days 527 574 592 614 
			  (b) over 50 days 480 585 613 528 
			  (c) over 100 days 313 328 390 274 
			  Note: Figures for 2004 were incomplete and have not been included. 
		
	
	The Department is committed to managing sick absence effectively and continues to look at initiatives to help reduce absence levels. The process includes clear guidance for managers to follow, early intervention by Occupational Health and conducting return to work interviews with staff. The Department is part of a Government-wide network that meets to discuss issues around attendance management and share best practice.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date his Department's air quality technical group delivered its air quality modelling on the project for sustainable development of Heathrow for review and internal clearance within his Department; and on what date internal clearance was granted.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 27 February 2009
	Emerging results of air quality modelling were delivered over a period of time and reported to the Department's Heathrow Project Board. It was already clear by July 2007 that the air quality limits were likely to be met in the third runway scenarios. Final results, including for the mixed mode scenarios, were reflected in successive drafts of the consultation document reviewed by the board up to its conclusion in October 2007.

High Speed Two

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the company High Speed Two was incorporated; what type of company it is; when its  (a) memorandum of association and  (b) articles of association were drawn up; and what provisions of company law govern its operation.

Paul Clark: High Speed Two (HS2) Limited was incorporated on 14 January 2009. It is a private company limited by guarantee and its operation is governed by the normal provisions of company law set out in the Companies Acts. Copies of the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association have been placed in the Library of the House.

High Speed Two

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the statement of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 359-60, on transport infrastructure, what further steps he has taken to establish High Speed Two; and which individuals he  (a) has approached and  (b) plans to approach to seek their involvement in the company.

Paul Clark: holding answer 27 February 2009
	Britain's transport infrastructure: High Speed Two, published in January 2009, stated that High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. would draw on resources from Network Rail and the Department for Transport. The process for recruitment of these resources is a matter for the company.

Limousines

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stretch limousines the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has registered in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Although the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records details of vehicles being registered it does not have available a statistical breakdown of the numbers of stretch limousines being registered.

Limousines

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stretch limousines have been registered following import from the United States in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Although the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records details of vehicles being registered it does not have available a statistical breakdown of the numbers of stretch limousines being registered following import from the United States.

M1: Bedfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the scheme to widen the M1 between junctions 10 and 13; and if he will make a statement.  [Official Report, 11 March 2009, Vol. 489, c. 9-10MC.]

Paul Clark: In January 2009 the Department for Transport published "Britain's Transport Infrastructure, Motorways and Major Trunk Roads" which summarises the results of assessments of hard shoulder (HSR) running as an alternative to widening on a number of sections of the motorway network including the M1 between junctions 10 and 13. This document is available in the Libraries of the House.
	This work has concluded that hard shoulder running can deliver improvements more quickly than motorway widening, provides a better value for money solution and gives benefits in terms of safety and reliability. Additional capacity can be delivered at a lower cost than a more conventional road widening scheme with fewer environmental impacts. We have successfully and safely giving us confidence that we can do the same elsewhere on the network.
	In the light of these findings, the January document confirmed that we plan to commence works on the implementation of hard shoulder running on the M1 between junctions 10 and 13 in the next financial year. The Highways Agency will be providing more detailed information on the scheme in spring 2009.

Railways: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding the Government has provided to the rail industry in each of the last 12 years.

Paul Clark: Details of historic Government spending on the railway is published annually by the Office Of Rail Regulation in their publication, National Rail Trends. Copies are available in the Library of the House or online at:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk

Rescue Services: Hope Cove

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what arrangements the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has made to provide rescue services in the operating area previously covered by the Hope Cove lifeboat; what plans he has to make payments to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for the provision of such services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what provisions will be made before 10am and after 6pm during spring and summer months to provide rescue services in the operating area previously covered by the Hope Cove lifeboat; and whether he plans to upgrade the services provided by the Bantham rubber duck boat.  [Official Report, 12 March 2009, Vol. 489, c. 12MC.]

Jim Fitzpatrick: A consultation about the search and rescue provision for the southern part of the south-west peninsula is being prepared.
	Until that process is complete the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's boat at Hope Cove will be able to operate under necessary safety restrictions from 1 April 2009 until 31 October 2009.
	The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has recently indicated a willingness to provide a beach life-guarding service specifically at Hope Cove, in addition to maintaining the existing provision at the nearby Bantham beach.
	Provision and funding of beach safety services is generally a matter for the local authority.
	The Department does not recognise the relevance of the acronym RIVU in this context.

Rolling Stock

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the new rail rolling stock recently announced by his Department will be suitable for use on routes north of Edinburgh which are served by the East Coast Main Line franchise.

Paul Clark: It is intended that Bi-Mode Super Express trains will operate north of Edinburgh to Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Transport: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to increase the co-ordination of activity between the Highways Agency and  (a) the Mersey Partnership,  (b) Merseytravel and  (c) local authorities in order to deliver greater integration and cost-efficiency.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency is working closely with its partners in Merseyside, including The Mersey Partnership, Merseytravel, and the five local authorities, to produce a Multi Area Agreement. This will deliver efficiency savings and better integrate the respective transport networks within Merseyside. Sharing technologies will be a key area, as well as collaboration on schemes in the Regional Funding Allocation.

Vehicle Number Plates

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) remit and  (b) timetable is for the informal consultation on regulations to legalise the display of national flags on number plates; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency issued an informal consultation to 28 interested stakeholders on Wednesday 28 January and asked for comments to be received by Monday 2 March 2009. The consultation outlined the proposal to amend regulations to allow the display of national flags on number plates in Great Britain while excluding Northern Ireland at this time. All consultees were invited to express views on any aspect of the proposal.

OLYMPICS

Legacy: South-west

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the legacy effects of the London 2012 Olympics on the south-west.

Tessa Jowell: The south-west stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the London 2012 games.
	The National Sailing Academy at Weymouth and Portland will host the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events in 2012. In terms of legacy it is already providing a state-of-the-art facility for elite training, competition and local community use.
	We are also seeing progress in other areas—40 businesses registered in the south west have already won work with the ODA; there are also 61 facilities from the area included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.

Apprenticeships and Training

Linda Riordan: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many  (a) apprenticeships and  (b) training opportunities the Olympic Delivery Authority plans to make available on the Olympic park.

Tessa Jowell: The Prime Minister announced last month that 250 additional apprenticeships would be created on the Olympic Park and Village. This is in addition to the existing commitment for 2,000 trainee, apprenticeships and work placements over the life of the project (of which 100 will be apprenticeships).
	This increase will be achieved partly by requiring companies bidding for new contracts worth a total of £500 million to provide apprentices as 3 per cent. of their workforce—three times the south east regional average for the industry—to win them.
	This demonstrates the extent to which Government remain committed to retaining jobs and skills in important industries, and our continued investment in training and skills so important for the future of the UK.

Ticketing Policy

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what ticketing policy has been established for the London 2012 Olympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee is responsible for the ticketing strategy for the London 2012 games. A plan is currently being developed and information about tickets will be made public in 2010. Tickets will go on sale in 2011.

Training Facilities: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what progress has been made on the provision of training facilities in Scotland for athletes in the London 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Scotland has 30 designated training facilities in the London 2012 pre-games training camp guide all offering Olympic sports training, 11 of which can host Paralympic sports.
	Scotland has recently appointed a training camps co-ordinator for the 2012 games to promote Scotland's sporting offer to National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees competing in London 2012.

Legacy: Equestrian Sports

James Gray: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what plans she has for a legacy for equestrian sports from the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The equestrian events at Greenwich will promote the sport to a new inner city audience, raising its profile both nationally and internationally.
	The London Organising Committee also hope to relocate equipment from the competition around the UK.
	Using the inspiration of the 2012 games the British Equestrian Federation launched the Hoof programme in December 2007, which aims to increase participation and awareness in equestrianism.

CLM Delivery Partners

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much was paid to CLM Delivery Partners in each of the last three years.

Tessa Jowell: Payments made by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to its Delivery Partner CLM are published in the ODA annual report. For the last two years the figures were as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 18.1 
			 2007-08 87.6 
		
	
	The ODA has contracted CLM to undertake the procurement delivery and programme management of the venues, infrastructure, logistics facilities and other developments in the Olympic Park and selected non-Olympic Park venues. It also undertakes an overall programme reporting role.
	Payments are linked to delivery performance against time, cost and quality. The level of payments reflects the fact that, with CLM's help, delivery of the ODA programme is currently on time and within budget.
	Figures for 2008-09 will be published in the annual report this summer.

Olympic Games 2012

Doug Henderson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps she has taken to hold discussions with local authorities on how their areas can benefit from the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: I meet regularly with the Chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) and my officials work closely with the LGA. In December I addressed the LGA conference on the Olympics. I regularly attend meetings with the London Councils and meet the five London host borough representatives and on regional visits I meet with local authorities. For example, I visited Norwich in December 2008 and Doncaster in January 2009.
	There are also a number of London 2012 schemes that I actively encourage local authorities to get involved in, for example:
	The latest round of the Beacon scheme has had an Olympic legacy theme included in it to encourage communities to be more active in promoting best practice on London 2012 themes. I will be announcing the winners at the awards ceremony on the 3 March.
	The Inspire Mark was launched in June 2008 to promote non-commercial projects and programmes inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic games. The Mark has already been awarded to seven local authority projects.
	I have met with leaders and chief executives of nine London boroughs over the last 12 months to discuss their plans for 2012.
	The Local Government Association is represented on the Nations and Regions Group which was set up to ensure that the benefits from London 2012 are UK-wide.
	Further to these discussions local authorities are engaged with the Nations and Regions Group, which was set up to ensure that the benefits from London 2012 are UK-wide.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-Terrorism Control Orders

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of  (a) the independent reviewer pursuant to section 14 (3) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005,  (b) the control order review group,  (c) the permanent team dedicated to control orders,  (d) the special advocates,  (e) supervision arrangements made under control orders and  (f) the legal proceedings relating to oversight of the control order regime in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: In the last 12 months—1 February 2008 to 31 January 2009—expenditure on control orders under the requested headings has been as follows:
	 (a) £7,650 on the independent reviewer of the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, the Lord Carlile of Berriew, pursuant to section 14(3) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005;
	 (c) £681,543 on the permanent team dedicated to control orders in the Home Office. This figure includes pay, allowances, pension and national insurance contributions;
	 (d) £249,727 on the Special Advocates. This figure relates to charges made by the Special Advocate Support Office for their time and disbursements relating to control orders; and
	 (f) £2,157,230 on the legal proceedings relating to the judicial scrutiny and oversight of all control order cases.
	The cost of providing a figure for the cost of supervision arrangements made under control orders and the cost of the quarterly Control Order Review Group (CORG) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Finance

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time an asylum seeker remained on  (a) section 4 and  (b) section 95 support was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The way that the UK Border Agency records data on support under section 95 and section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 does not enable the collation of the average length of time individuals spend on either of these forms of support without an examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: HIV Infection

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that mechanisms for returning failed asylum seekers to their countries, with particular reference to the facilities in immigration removal centres, take account of the needs of HIV-positive people.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency examines with great care each individual case before detention and removal. They take into account all individual circumstances including, where appropriate, any serious medical conditions or other compassionate circumstances. Consideration is given to fitness to travel and whether the necessary medical treatment is available in the country to which the individual is being returned.
	All UK border agency immigration removal centres have a healthcare team and medical practitioner who are responsible for the care of the physical and mental heath of all those detained, including failed asylum seekers. Detainees who are known to be HIV positive at the point of detention or who are diagnosed as being HIV positive while in detention will receive the appropriate medical care and treatment during their detention.
	Removals are then carried out in accordance with Home Office policy and guidelines, and with every care and consideration to the dignity and health of the individual. Individuals diagnosed as suffering from a particular medical condition which requires ongoing treatment, including HIV, will be accompanied by a suitable medical escort.

Crime: Prosecutions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for each criminal offence created by legislation since 1997.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no central system that routinely records the number of prosecutions for new offences created across Whitehall. To obtain the requested information, an investigation will be necessary in order to separately identify and list data for all new offences.
	This information is being collated and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

Crime: Statistics

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what offences are included in the other miscellaneous offences category in Table 2 in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/09, Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update to September 2008.

Jacqui Smith: The offences included within 'other miscellaneous offences' are as follows:
	Absconding from lawful custody;
	Adulteration of food;
	Aiding suicide;
	Bail offences;
	Betting, gaming and lotteries;
	Bigamy;
	Blackmail;
	Concealment of birth;
	Customs and Revenue offences;
	Dangerous driving;
	Disclosure, Obstruction, False or Misleading Statements etc.;
	Firearms Acts offences;
	Going equipped for stealing, etc.;
	Health and Safety offences;
	Immigration Act offences;
	Kidnapping;
	Knives Act 1997 offences, relating to the unlawful marketing of knives;
	Libel;
	Obscene publications etc.;
	Other notifiable offences;
	Other offences against the State or public order;
	Perjury;
	Perverting the course of justice;
	Planning laws;
	Possession of firearms offences, relating to gun certification offences;
	Protection from eviction;
	Public health offences;
	Riot;
	Trade descriptions etc.;
	Treason;
	Treason felony;
	Violent disorder.
	Data relating to these individual offence codes are published in the annual bulletins on crime.

Crime: Statistics

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which offences fall within the recorded crime category of less serious wounding.

Jacqui Smith: The classification "less serious wounding" ceased to exist on 1 April 2008. All offences that were previously listed under this classification have since moved to other classifications.
	For example, offences of "inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent" (new code 8F, covered by section 20 of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act) are now a contributory part of a new most serious violence against the person category.
	The offences that were included in Home Office classification 8A "less serious wounding", before abolition on 1 April 2008, are as following:
	Wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm, with or without weapon.
	Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 20.
	Administering poison with intent to injure or annoy.
	Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 24.
	Drivers injuring persons by furious driving.
	Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 35.
	Assault on person preserving wreck.
	Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 37.
	Assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
	Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 47.
	Assault with intent to resist apprehension.
	Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 38.
	Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person.
	Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1).
	Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person.
	Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3).
	Excise, infibulate, aid, abet, counsel.
	Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 Sec 1(1), 2, 3 & 5.
	It is not possible to separately identify the number of offences recorded under each piece of legislation.

Drugs: Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of possession of  (a) cannabis,  (b) cocaine,  (c) heroin,  (d) ecstasy,  (e) ketamine and  (f) LSD have been recorded by police in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: Recorded offences of possession of cannabis have been collected separately since 2004-05 and the figures are given in the following table. Possession of other drug types are included in the Home Office classification 'Possession of controlled drugs (excluding cannabis)' but the drug type cannot be separately identified.
	Recent rises in recorded possession of cannabis offences are largely associated with the increased police use of powers to issue warnings for cannabis possession, these powers first becoming nationally available from 1 April 2004.
	
		
			  Possession of cannabis offences recorded by the police in England and Wales 
			   Number of offences 
			 2004-05 88,263 
			 2005-06 119,917 
			 2006-07 130,395 
			 2007-08 158,086

Entry Clearances: Pakistan

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applicants from Pakistan have had their applications refused in each of the last three years; how many have appealed against the refusal; how many such appeals have succeeded; how many decisions have been withdrawn prior to determination of the appeal; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Pakistan 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Visas refused 70,253 83,753 78,473 
			 Appeals received 35,777 48,667 48,130 
			 Appeals allowed 12,316 12,161 16,644 
			  Note: These data are unpublished and should be treated as provisional.  Source:  Central Reference System. 
		
	
	We are unable to readily separate applications where a decision has been revoked following receipt of an appeal from those where a decision has been revoked following an Asylum and Immigration Tribunal determination. This information could be provided only by checking individual applications and therefore at disproportionate cost.

Human Trafficking: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training police officers in Essex have received on human trafficking; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: All police forces in England and Wales have sent officers to the training courses devised and delivered by the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) and this work has been reinforced by the distribution of awareness-raising material sent electronically to all police officers. The UKHTC in conjunction with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) are also in the process of rolling out training modules on human trafficking to be included in mainstream police courses. All of this work involves an element of training specifically on the convention.
	The knowledge of police officers on human trafficking has been further reinforced as part of the successful nationwide Operations Pentameter 1 and 2, the latter of which additionally involved a trial of the national referral mechanism, a central component of the convention and which will be introduced from 1 April 2009.

Identity Cards

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which groups of people she plans to allow to use a third party address on a national identity card.

Meg Hillier: The cardholder's address will not be shown on the face of an identity card and so anyone who wishes to assert their identity will be able to show their identity card without needing at the same time to reveal their address.
	Under the Provisions of the Identity Cards Act, individuals applying for an identity card will need to provide the address of their place of residence. Further definition under secondary legislation will provide that people who have no fixed abode, such as homeless people, may agree a suitable place of abode to be recorded as their place of residence. Each case will depend on the individual circumstances.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long she expects the evaluation of the identity card pilot scheme to take.

Meg Hillier: It is intended to phase in identity cards at Manchester and London City airports to employees requiring airside access from autumn 2009. The first 18 months from the start of the scheme will be treated as an evaluation period for the airside workers scheme.

Immigration: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who were last recorded as resident in Peterborough constituency and whose application for indefinite leave to remain had not been allowed have been removed from the UK in each quarter since 1 January 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The requested information is not stored in the format requested and could be obtained only by examination of individual case records and therefore at disproportionate cost.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 158W, on the National Identity Register: data protection, what information beyond confirming the validity of data may be provided for the purpose of prevention and detection of crime; and what additional information may be made available for that purpose.

Meg Hillier: The identity information held on the National Identity Register, as listed in section 3 and schedule 1 of the Identity Cards Act 2006, may be provided to the security and intelligence services, police and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Government Departments where specified in secondary legislation for the purposes, including the prevention and detection of crime, prescribed in section 17 of the Identity Cards Act 2006.

Offensive Weapons: Crime Prevention

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hospitals with accident and emergency departments in the 10 police force areas that make up the Tackling Knives Action Programme are sharing information with the police under the programme; and what information is being shared by them.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 4 February 2009
	As at 30 January, police forces report that 37 hospitals in the 10 Tackling Knives Action programme areas (Metropolitan, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Merseyside, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, South Wales, Essex, and Thames Valley) are routinely sharing anonymised information relating to victims presenting at accident and emergency departments with injuries caused by violence. One additional hospital in a second tier TKAP area (South Yorkshire, Bedfordshire and Northumbria) is also sharing information. A total of 38 hospitals.

Police: Inspections

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations have a power of inspection in respect of police forces.

Jacqui Smith: The main organisations which exercise powers of inspection in police forces are:
	HM Inspectorate of Constabulary;
	Audit Commission (including District Audit);
	Independent Police Complaints Commission;
	Independent Custody Visitors.

Work Permits: Africa

Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued for  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses from each country in Africa in each of the last 15 years.

Phil Woolas: The following tables show the number of work permit applications approved for doctors and nurses from each country in Africa in the last nine years. Data are not available before 1 January 2000.
	
		
			  Number of individual work permit applications approved for doctors and nurses from each country in Africa for the last nine years 
			   2000  2001  2002 
			  Nationality  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total 
			 Algeria 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 5 0 5 5 
			 Angola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Botswana 0 35 35 0 115 115 5 110 115 
			 Burundi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cameroon 0 20 20 (1)— 30 30 (1)— 50 50 
			 Central African Republic 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 
			 Congo 0 5 5 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— 5 5 
			 Egypt 20 (1)— 20 100 5 105 115 5 120 
			 Ethiopia 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 0 5 5 
			 Gambia 0 15 15 0 15 15 (1)— 35 40 
			 Ghana 5 310 315 10 530 540 10 635 645 
			 Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ivory Coast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Kenya (1)— 115 115 5 275 280 (1)— 395 400 
			 Lesotho 0 (1)— (1)— 0 10 10 0 20 20 
			 Liberia 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Libya 20 (1)— 20 35 5 40 55 (1)— 55 
			 Malawi 0 40 40 0 95 95 (1)— 115 115 
			 Mauritania 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 
			 Mauritius 5 200 200 5 320 320 5 375 380 
			 Morocco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mozambique 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Namibia 0 5 5 0 30 30 0 30 30 
			 Niger 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 
			 Nigeria 30 925 955 55 1,165 1,220 65 1,720 1,785 
			 Rwanda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Seychelles 0 20 20 0 25 25 0 35 35 
			 Sierra Leone 0 65 65 5 60 65 5 105 110 
			 Somalia 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— 5 5 
			 South Africa 95 1,755 1,845 370 2,750 3,120 1,005 3,410 4,415 
			 Sudan 15 5 20 20 5 25 35 5 35 
			 Swaziland 0 10 10 (1)— 15 15 (1)— 25 25 
			 Tanzania (1)— 15 15 5 30 30 0 35 35 
			 Togo 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Tunisia 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 
			 Uganda (1)— 25 25 0 35 35 (1)— 50 50 
			 Zaire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Zambia (1)— 150 155 (1)— 345 350 (1)— 430 430 
			 Zimbabwe (1)— 1,165 1,165 5 1,915 1,925 15 2,700 2,715 
			 Total 190 4,890 5,080 620 7,785 8,405 1,330 10,315 11,640 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			  Nationality  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total 
			 Algeria 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Angola 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 
			 Botswana 5 105 110 0 125 125 0 140 140 
			 Burundi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Cameroon (1)— 40 40 5 55 60 5 40 45 
			 Central African Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Congo (1)— 5 5 (1)— 5 5 0 5 5 
			 Egypt 115 0 115 120 5 125 85 (1)— 85 
			 Ethiopia 0 5 5 (1)— 5 5 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Gambia 0 25 25 0 35 35 0 35 35 
			 Ghana 20 770 790 20 745 765 20 650 670 
			 Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Ivory Coast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Kenya 15 385 395 20 390 410 10 255 265 
			 Lesotho 0 35 35 (1)— 60 65 0 80 80 
			 Liberia 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Libya 60 0 60 45 (1)— 50 50 (1)— 55 
			 Malawi (1)— 120 125 5 115 120 (1)— 125 125 
			 Mauritania 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mauritius 5 430 435 15 460 475 5 350 350 
			 Morocco 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mozambique 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Namibia † 35 35 0 40 40 0 25 25 
			 Niger 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Nigeria 80 1,335 1,410 95 1,340 1,435 100 1,160 1,260 
			 Rwanda 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Seychelles 0 25 25 0 30 30 0 25 25 
			 Sierra Leone (1)— 100 100 (1)— 85 85 (1)— 70 75 
			 Somalia 0 5 5 0 5 5 (1)— 5 5 
			 South Africa 755 3,365 4,120 565 2,895 3,455 300 2,010 2,310 
			 Sudan 45 5 50 45 5 50 35 (1)— 35 
			 Swaziland (1)— 75 75 0 120 120 0 100 100 
			 Tanzania (1)— 35 35 5 45 50 (1)— 45 45 
			 Togo 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Tunisia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Uganda 5 75 75 5 80 90 5 70 80 
			 Zaire 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 (1)— 0 (1)— 
			 Zambia (1)— 430 430 5 380 385 5 350 355 
			 Zimbabwe 20 2,735 2,755 30 2,985 3,015 25 2,330 2,355 
			 Total 1,135 10,135 11,270 980 10,020 11,000 655 7,885 8,540 
		
	
	—continued
	
		
			   2006  2007  2008  
			  Nationality  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Doctor  Nurse  Total  Total 
			 Algeria (1)— 0 (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Angola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— 
			 Botswana 5 70 75 (1)— 35 35 (1)— 40 40 790 
			 Burundi 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 5 
			 Cameroon 5 30 35 (1)— 20 20 (1)— 35 40 345 
			 Central African Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— 
			 Congo (1)— (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 5 30 
			 Egypt 85 0 85 40 0 40 75 (1)— 75 775 
			 Ethiopia (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— 0 0 0 25 
			 Gambia 0 25 25 0 10 10 0 10 10 205 
			 Ghana 20 290 310 5 200 210 15 220 230 4,475 
			 Guinea 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— 
			 Ivory Coast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— 
			 Kenya 20 145 165 5 95 95 5 115 115 2,245 
			 Lesotho (1)— 50 50 5 25 25 (1)— 40 40 320 
			 Liberia (1)— 0 (1)— 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 10 
			 Libya 30 0 30 10 0 10 10 0 10 325 
			 Malawi 5 70 75 (1)— 40 40 (1)— 50 50 790 
			 Mauritania 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Mauritius 10 175 190 0 145 145 (1)— 150 155 2,655 
			 Morocco 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— 
			 Mozambique 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Namibia (1)— 15 15 0 10 10 0 15 15 210 
			 Niger 0 (1)— (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Nigeria 125 600 730 25 390 415 35 490 525 9,740 
			 Rwanda 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 10 
			 Seychelles 0 15 15 0 10 10 0 5 5 195 
			 Sierra Leone 5 45 50 0 20 20 0 15 15 585 
			 Somalia (1)— 5 5 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 35 
			 South Africa 265 1,135 1,400 175 545 720 170 410 580 21,970 
			 Sudan 30 0 30 20 0 20 30 0 30 290 
			 Swaziland 0 70 70 0 25 25 0 20 20 460 
			 Tanzania 10 25 35 (1)— 20 20 (1)— 10 15 285 
			 Togo 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 0 (1)— (1)— 5 
			 Tunisia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Uganda 5 30 35 (1)— 30 30 (1)— 30 35 455 
			 Zaire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1)— (1)— 5 
			 Zambia 5 195 200 (1)— 135 135 0 130 130 2,575 
			 Zimbabwe 20 1,610 1,625 10 1,095 1,105 10 1,175 1,185 17,845 
			 Total 655 4,610 5,265 305 2,850 3,155 350 2,980 3,330 67,685 
			 (1) Indicates 1 or 2  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown. 3. The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.  Caveats: The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain.

Work Permits: Guyana

Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued for  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses from Guyana in each of the last 15 years.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of work permit applications approved for doctors and nurses from Guyana in the last nine years.
	
		
			  Number of individual work permit applications approved for doctors and nurses from Guyana for the last nine years 
			   Doctor  Nurse  Total 
			 2000 0 35 35 
			 2001 0 80 80 
			 2002 0 120 120 
			 2003 (1)— 160 165 
			 2004 (1)— 295 295 
			 2005 (1)— 225 225 
			 2006 0 180 180 
			 2007 0 85 85 
			 2008 0 70 70 
			 Total 5 1,255 1,260 
			 (1) Indicates one or two.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown. 3. The occupational categories used are not ONS standard occupational classifications (SOC). 4. The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.  Caveats: The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the use of the NHS Pathways system by North East Ambulance Service on those patients who required an ambulance as part of their care;
	(2)  what the total was of the trial of the NHS Pathways system used by the North East Ambulance Service in the last two years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department commissioned a research evaluation of the accuracy and safety of NHS Pathways by a group of researchers from three universities. The research looked at all types of patients assessed by NHS Pathways, including those who needed an ambulance. A copy of the evaluation, "An evaluation of the accuracy and safety of NHS Pathways", has been placed in the Library. Information is not available centrally on the cost of the trial of the NHS Pathways system by North East Ambulance Service as these costs were met locally.

Blood Transfusions: CJD

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the National CJD Surveillance Unit informed his Department of evidence of infection of a patient with a bleeding disorder with vCJD transmitted by a transfusion; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information on the finding of abnormal prion protein associated with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in a spleen sample taken from a haemophilia patient at post mortem, was presented to the Department by National CJD Surveillance Unit on 6 January 2009. Before the finding was made public on 17 February, it was important to find out information about the patient's possible routes of exposure to abnormal prion protein associated with vCJD. The Health Protection Agency and the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation worked to prepare accurate information packs and letters for haemophilia centre doctors and their patients.

Blood Transfusions: CJD

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the potential financial liability to the NHS arising from claims from patients with bleeding disorders infected with vCJD from NHS transfusions; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: No such estimate has been made. The vCJD Trust is available to pay compensation to patients with clinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and their families and carers. No patients with bleeding disorders have been diagnosed with clinical vCJD.

Breast Cancer: Health Services

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much on average was spent on treating a breast cancer patient by each primary care trust in each strategic health authority in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows an estimate of the gross expenditure on cancers and tumours by the national health service in England for all cancer and tumour types for the last four available financial years. This information was first collected in 2003-04 and is not available for any previous years.
	The table also shows gross expenditure on breast cancer for 2006-07, the first year that those data was collected at sub-category level.
	
		
			  Estimated gross expenditure on cancer and tumours (all types) and on breast cancers and tumours from 2003-04 to 2006-07 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Gross expenditure on cancers and tumours—all types  Gross expenditure on breast cancers and tumours 
			 2003-04 3,385,750,000 n/a 
			 2004-05 3,773,203,000 n/a 
			 2005-06 4,302,656,000 n/a 
			 2006-07 4,352,460,000 403,807,000 
			  Source:  Department of Health Resource Accounts. 
		
	
	A table showing the gross expenditure on breast cancers and tumours for 2006-07 by each primary care trust has been placed in the Library

Dental Services

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of adults in  (a) North Wiltshire constituency,  (b) Wiltshire and  (c) England received treatment from a dentist under the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The proportion of the adult population registered with a national health service dentist in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex B of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006". Information is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and by strategic health authority (SHA).
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Information on adult patients seen in the previous 24 months as a percentage of the adult population in England is available in Table D5 Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics, Quarter 2: 30 September 2008" report. Information is available at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 September 2008 and is provided by PCT and SHA.
	This report has been placed in the Library.
	This information is not available by constituency.

Departmental Data Protection

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy for his Department to sign the Information Commissioner's Personal Information Promise.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government welcomed the promise as a commendable initiative to raise awareness of the importance of effective data protection safeguards, particularly for those organisations with no similar commitments already in place.
	Following the Cabinet Office Review Of Data Handling Procedures in Government, Departments have implemented a raft of measures to improve data security.
	The Ministry of Justice is considering actively with the Information Commissioner's Office how the promise might add additional value to those measures we have already signed up to. These include the information charters, the recommendations of the Data Handling review and the Thomas/Walport review and, of course, our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 and other legislation and regulations.

Departmental Databases

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of maintaining the databases owned and managed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has in excess of 200 database information owners. The cost of undertaking an exercise to determine the cost of maintenance and management would incur disproportionate cost for the Department alone. As a consequence, a response has not been requested from its agencies.

Departmental Internet

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a copy of his Department's website accessibility plan.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department's website accessibility policy and plan is currently in development and will be published by the end of April 2009.
	The Department's website complies with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C's) Level A guidelines for accessibility. The Government web guidelines published by the Cabinet Office-Central Office of Information require all websites operated by central Government departments to be double-A conformant by December 2009.
	Our website accessibility statement is published on our website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Help/DH_062766

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what private finance initiative projects his Department has entered into since 1997; what the total value of each contract was; who the successful contractor was; which projects have been subject to refinancing arrangements; what the monetary value of the refinancing arrangement was in each such case; and what the extent of the clawback has been.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the capital value and estimated revenue payments for the lifetime of each private finance contract as well as the primary contractors (equity stakeholders in the project companies) involved has been placed in the Library.
	Private finance initiative schemes which have been the subject of a refinancing agreement together with details of the value and the extent of the clawback to the NHS trust in each case are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Scheme  Date refinanced  Total refinancing gain (net present values £ million)  Trust's share of refinancing share (percentage)  Trust' s share of refinancing gain (net present values £ million) 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust May 2002 12.0 30 3.6 
			 Dartford and Gravesham Hospitals NHS trust March 2003 33.4 35 11.7 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust December 2003 115.5 34 29.3 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust February 2004 45.3 31.3 14.2 
			 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust September 2006 42.2 43 18.3

Down's Syndrome: Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's plans are for commissioning new research into the causes of Down's syndrome.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies though which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	The MRC is currently funding one research project relating to Down's syndrome. The MRC does not, as a rule, earmark funds for particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.

Health Authorities: Manpower

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by  (a) NHS hospital trusts,  (b) ambulance trusts and  (c) primary care trusts on temporary administrative staff in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The expenditure in national health service hospital trusts, ambulance trusts and primary care trusts on non-NHS staff under the 'administrative and clerical' heading are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			   NHS Hospital Trusts  Ambulance Trusts  Primary Care Trusts 
			 2003-04 121,801,000 7,389,000 53,980,000 
			 2004-05 105,520,000 6,339,000 60,926,000 
			 2005-06 105,591,000 8,366,000 72,329,000 
			 2006-07 90,191,000 8,374,000 73,640,000 
			 2007-08 120,556,000 10,804,000 115,109,000 
			  Note: These figures do not include bank staff (either organised by the organisation itself or via NHS Professionals). Figures also do not include foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data calculated are only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust.  Source: NHS Trust and PCT Financial Returns

Maternity Services

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many babies were born in stand-alone, midwife-led units in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the clinical safety of stand-alone, midwife-led units;
	(3)  how many midwife-led maternity units there are; and how many of these units are  (a) co-located with consultant-led maternity services and  (d) stand-alone.

Ann Keen: Midwifery led care may take place in the home, in a freestanding midwifery facility, an alongside midwifery facility or within a hospital delivery suite. Information of birth in midwifery facilities is not collected centrally. We have commissioned the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) to undertake an integrated programme of research entitled 'Birthplace', which is designed to compare outcomes of births planned at home, in different types of midwifery units, and in hospital units with obstetric services—the NPEU are expected to report at the end of the year.
	We do not routinely collect details of numbers of maternity units although a one-off survey by the Healthcare Commission suggested that in March 2007, there were 382 maternity units, of which 101 were midwifery-led. We do not know how many were stand-alone and how many co-located with consultant-led units.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Land

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS funding allocations to NHS foundation trust hospitals take into account the income each trust receives from land sales.

Ben Bradshaw: Revenue allocations are made directly to primary care trusts, not NHS foundation trusts. Capital allocations from the Department require a demonstration of need, and proceeds from land sales are taken into account when agreeing the financing of a project.

NHS Foundation Trusts: Land

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS Hospital foundation trusts have sold land since their establishment; how much was sold in each case; and how much each trust received from the sale.

Ben Bradshaw: We are informed by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator for NHS foundation trusts (NHS FTs) that his organisation does not receive details or maintain a register of all land disposals by NHS FTs.
	If an NHS FT intends to dispose of land, Monitor will be involved if the land is defined as a protected asset—one required for the delivery of a service commissioned by a primary care trust, or if the disposal qualifies as a major investment.

NHS: Equality

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken in co-operation with voluntary sector organisations on  (a) developing gender-sensitive policies and  (b) reducing gender inequalities in the NHS in the last five years.

Phil Hope: The Department is committed to ensuring that health and social care services promote gender equality. This is set out as a core principle in the NHS Constitution for England, which was developed in consultation with a range of voluntary sector organisations and was published on 21 January 2009.
	Over the past five years the Department has continued to work in co-operation with voluntary sector organisations on gender equality, including:
	convening a Gender Equality Advisory Group (GEAG), including voluntary sector organisations, to advise the Department on current health inequality trends and providing a consultative forum on outward-facing policy initiatives that impact on the NHS;
	issuing guidance, developed with GEAG and published in March 2007 on "Creating a Gender Equality Scheme: A practical guide for the NHS" to ensure that all NHS organisations understand their gender equality duties. A copy has already been placed in the Library. Similar guidance was published in November 2008 specifically on transgender issues: "Trans: A practical guide for the NHS" and a copy has been placed in the Library; and
	commissioning research into the different ways in which men and women access health services.
	As we move forward, gender inequalities will be a key area for our new third sector Strategic Partner Programme where we are investing in 11 third sector organisations, including the Men's Health Forum, to develop the capability of the sector and ensure they have an informed and coherent voice influencing health and social care policy.
	We are also supporting a new 'Women's health and equalities consortium' which includes six national women's organisations led by YWCA, the establishment of this consortium offers a new opportunity to ensure that the women's voluntary sector are able to inform policy and affect change particularly gender inequalities.

NHS: Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of the budget of each London  (a) health authority and  (b) foundation trust is expected to be top-sliced to fund debt in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The boards of all 31 primary care trusts (PCTs) in London have agreed in principle to support NHS London's medium term financial strategy, to address long term deficits within some national health service organisations in London. All PCTs, with the exception of those repaying historical deficits, will be contributing on average 0.8 per cent. of their resource baseline in 2009-10 and 0.75 per cent. in 2010-11 as part of the plan.
	This is in line with the 2009-10 operating framework which states that strategic health authorities (SHAs) may determine and agree arrangements locally with their PCTs for the transfer and lodging of resources with the SHA, provided this is within the overall limits of the SHA planned surplus. SHAs will be accountable for the management of this flexibility.
	London NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts will not be contributing any of their income towards NHS London's medium term financial plan.

NHS: Publications

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were received by his Department on the accuracy of its literature relating to the provision of NHS services in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information that the hon. Member requires about complaints received by the Department on the accuracy of literature relating to the provision of NHS services can be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS is recorded in Estates Return Information Collection data as spending on the reduction of backlog maintenance in each year since 2000-01.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the precise format requested. The amount invested by national health service trusts specially to reduce backlog maintenance costs was first collected through the Estates Return Information Collection in 2001-02.
	The information which is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Total amount of investment to reduce backlog maintenance costs, by NHS trusts in England 
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 296.4 
			 2002-03 402.4 
			 2003-04 426.1 
			 2004-05 (1)274.9 
			 2005-06 (1)230.0 
			 2006-07 (1)216.7 
			 2007-08 (1)301.2 
			 (1) Data collected on a non-compulsory basis. 
		
	
	From 2001-02 to 2003-04 the data were provided on a mandatory basis. However, since 2004-05, NHS trusts have provided the data on a non-compulsory basis, and may therefore not be complete.
	Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. In addition to the investment specifically to reduce backlog maintenance in buildings which are to remain in NHS use, the major hospital building programme has replaced many existing NHS buildings that had significant levels of backlog maintenance.
	The data are as provided by the NHS and have not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of those data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each NHS organisation in England is recorded in Estates Return Information Collection data as spending on reducing its backlog of maintenance in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08; and what organisation code was provided on each occasion that such expenditure was incurred in the period.

Ben Bradshaw: The information has been placed in the Library.
	The amount invested by national health service trusts specifically to reduce backlog maintenance costs is collected through the Estates Return Information Collection. Since 2004-05, NHS trusts have provided the data on a non-compulsory basis and it may therefore not be complete.
	Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. In addition to the investment specifically to reduce backlog maintenance in buildings which are to remain in NHS use, the major hospital building programme has replaced many existing NHS buildings that had significant levels of backlog maintenance.
	The data are as provided by the NHS and have not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of those data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

NHS: Waiting lists

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what each measured waiting list time in each NHS institution serving North Wiltshire constituency was in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: The available data are for inpatient and outpatient waiting times for the national health service trusts and primary care trusts serving North Wiltshire, as at March for each specified year, and are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Inpatient  and outpatient waiting times— Royal United Hospitals Bath, March 1998 to present 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight  weeks 
			 March 1998 10,475 3,729 6,515 n/a 449 n/a 
			 March 1999 9,638 3,309 5,851 n/a 654 n/a 
			 March 2000 8,130 3,272 5,326 n/a 1,199 n/a 
			 March 2001 7,667 2,450 4,503 n/a 1,22 n/a 
			 March 2002 9,972 4,075 6,609 n/a 2,007 n/a 
			 March 2003 9,593 2,702 5,725 n/a 1,131 n/a 
			 March 2004 8,226 1,231 4,256 n/a 424 n/a 
			 March 2005 5,547 1,177 2,966 9,248 294 2,241 
			 March 2006 4,374 1 1,824 8,727 0 1,357 
			 March 2007 4,653 8 1535 8148 0 1,379 
			 March 2008 2,081 0 55 6455 0 122 
			 December 2008 2,421 0 57 7735 0 524 
		
	
	
		
			  Inpatien t and outpatient waiting time—  Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, March 1998 in December 2008 it became Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) March 2008, 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight weeks 
			 March 1998 6,663 2,390 3,985 n/a 1,407 n/a 
			 March 1999 6,456 2,810 4,394 n/a 2,147 n/a 
			 March 2000 5,820 2,195 3,707 n/a 2,996 n/a 
			 March 2001 5,119 1,356 2,653 n/a 498 n/a 
			 March 2002 5,163 951 2,364 n/a 70 n/a 
			 March 2003 5,446 1,022 2,446 n/a 418 n/a 
			 March 2004 6,733 841 2,931 n/a 89 n/a 
			 March 2005 5,596 329 2,263 6,795 46 1,368 
			 March 2006 5,532 0 1,927 6,531 0 889 
			 March 2007 5,643 0 2337 5,169 0 432 
			 March 2008 3,237 0 231 4,231 0 24 
			 December 2008 3,852 0 37 4,155 0 31 
			  Note:  Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust was in existence until December 2008, it then became the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
		
	
	
		
			  Inpatien t and outpatient waiting time—  West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust (PCT), March 2003 to March 2006 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight weeks 
			 March 2003 n/a n/a n/a n/a 13 n/a 
			 March 2004 n/a n/a n/a n/a 1 n/a 
			 March 2005 n/a n/a n/a 14 0 0 
			 March 2006 n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			  Notes: 1. Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) do not provide any inpatient consultant led activity data. 2. From October 2006, Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT, West Wiltshire PCT and South Wiltshire PCT merged to became Wiltshire PCT 
		
	
	
		
			  Inpatient and  o utpatient waiting times—Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT, March 2003 to March 2006 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight weeks 
			 March 2003 n/a n/a n/a n/a 12 n/a 
			 March 2004 n/a n/a n/a n/a 2 n/a 
			 March 2005 n/a n/a n/a 74 0 21 
			 March 2006 n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			  Notes: 1. Primary Care Trusts do not provide any inpatient consultant led activity data. 2. From October, 2006 Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT, West Wiltshire PCT and South Wiltshire PCT merged to became Wiltshire PCT 
		
	
	
		
			  Inpatient and  o utpatient waiting times—Wiltshire and Swindon Healthcare NHS Trust, March 2000 to March 2002 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight weeks 
			 March 2000 12 0 0 n/a 248 n/a 
			 March 2001 7 0 0 n/a 24 n/a 
			 March 2002 0 0 0 n/a 0 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Inpatient  and o utpatient waiting times—Wiltshire Healthcare NHS Trust, March 1998 to March 1999 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight weeks 
			 March 1998 188 0 0 n/a 0 n/a 
			 March 1999 79 0 0 n/a 0 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Inpatient and o utpatient waiting times - East Wiltshire Healthcare NHS Trust, March 1998 to March 1999 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight weeks 
			 March 1998 n/a n/a n/a n/a 120 n/a 
			 March 1999 n/a n/a n/a n/a 5 n/a 
			  Note: Prior to 2004, only the number of outpatients waiting over 13 weeks were collected. 
		
	
	
		
			  Outpatient waiting times—Wiltshire Primary Care Trust, March 2007 to present 
			   Inpatients  Outpatients 
			   Total waiting  waiting over 26 weeks  waiting over 13 weeks  Total waiting  waiting over 13 weeks  waiting over eight weeks 
			 March 2007 n/a n/a n/a 2 — 1 
			 March 2008 n/a n/a n/a 5 0 0 
			 December 2008 n/a n/a n/a 32 0 0 
			  Notes: 1. Wiltshire PCT came into existence in October 2006, outpatient waiting times data are available from March 2007 to present. 2. Primary Care Trusts do not provide any inpatient consultant led activity data. 3. South Wiltshire Primary Care Trust is not included, as it did not provide outpatient or inpatient services.  Source:  Monthly monitoring return and KH07 quarterly return

Patients

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of discharge letters which were received by GPs  (a) two,  (b) three,  (c) four,  (d) six,  (e) 10 and  (f) 12 weeks after the patients were discharged from hospital in (i) Westmorland and Lonsdale, (ii) Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust area and (iii) England.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally. The hon. Gentleman may wish to contact his local NHS organisations for further information.

Rarer Diseases

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to increase levels of diagnosis and treatment of rarer diseases.

Ann Keen: The National Commissioning Group nationally commissions highly specialised services, which is how the national health service addresses rare conditions, on behalf of the NHS in England.
	The National Commissioning Group considers new bids for additions to the national commissioning portfolio on an annual basis. The following services have been added to the national portfolio effective from 1 April 2009:
	Ataxia telangiectasia service for children;
	Autoimmune paediatric gut syndromes service;
	Gender identity development service for children and adolescents;
	Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis service;
	Complex Ehlers Danlos syndrome service;
	Complex Neurofibromatosis type 1 service;
	Encapsulating sclerosing peritonitis surgical service;
	Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria;
	Deaf child and adolescent mental health outreach service; and
	Ventricular assist devices as bridge to heart transplant for adults and children.
	The National Commissioning Group is currently considering bids to be added to the national commissioning portfolio from 2010-11. Advice will be passed to Ministers in the autumn to make decisions about any new services proposed to be nationally commissioned.

Thalidomide: Health Services

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the Thalidomide Trust on health care for people affected by Thalidomide in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has had no discussions with the Thalidomide Trust on health care for people affected by Thalidomide.
	The trust has declined a recent offer of a meeting with Department officials to discuss health and social care support for those affected by Thalidomide.

Urinary System: Diseases

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of primary care trusts which fund the use of sacral nerve stimulation as a treatment for interstitial cystitis.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account both local priorities and the national health service operating framework.
	Funding for sacral nerve stimulation would be made from PCT revenue allocations. Revenue allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 were announced in December 2008 and over the two years covered by this allocation, PCTs will receive an average increase in funding of 11.3 per cent., a total increase of £8.6 billion. The Department does not break down PCT allocations by policies, at either a national or local level.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Cold Weather Payments: Waveney

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons  (a) residents of Carlton Colville have received one cold weather payment and  (b) residents of Lowestoft, Southwold and Pakefield have received three cold weather payments in 2009 to date.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 27 February 2009
	A cold weather payment is made to an eligible customer when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the customer's postcode.
	Lowestoft is in postcode sectors NR32 and NR33; Carlton Colville and Pakefield are both in postcode sector NR33. Postcode sectors NR32 and NR33 are linked to Norwich airport weather station. Southwold is in postcode sector IP18 which is linked to Wattisham weather station. In 2009 to date (25 February), Norwich Airport weather station has met the temperature criterion once and Wattisham weather station has met it three times.
	 Source:
	For postcode information: Royal Mail Address Management Guide or Royal Mail UK Addresses.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in his Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has an estates private finance initiative (PFI) contract with Trillium for the provision of fully fitted and serviced accommodation and for which the Department pays an all inclusive unitary charge. This unitary charge includes a risk price element for all aspects of building maintenance, repair, routine decoration and refurbishment, known as Life Cycle Works. These separate elements cannot be disaggregated from the unitary charge.
	Some works and refurbishments are not covered by the unitary charge and are funded separately as capital expenditure. The capital expenditure on works and refurbishment of offices allocated to Ministers in departmental buildings in the last 12 months was £4,524.

Departmental Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) of 13 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1303-04W, on departmental databases, what ACORN codes were used to help identify the postcode sectors in the 50 local authorities referred to in the answer.

Jonathan R Shaw: The ACORN codes that were used to help identify the postcode sectors within the 50 local authorities referred to in the answer of 13 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1303-04W, are all within category 5 of ACORN: Group N, Group O, Group P, Group Q.

Departmental ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's most recent  (a) IT and telephony satisfaction survey and  (b) staff survey.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 25 February 2009
	 The most recent IT and telephony satisfaction survey has been placed in the House of Commons Library. The most recent staff survey is available on the Department's website through the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/corporate-publications.asp

Employment Schemes

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) pilots and  (b) pathfinder areas his Department  (a) has set up in each of the last two years and  (b) plans to set up in each of the next five years; and what the cost of each is.

Tony McNulty: The activities of the Department for Work and Pensions cover a very wide range of programmes and services. Pilots and pathfinders are a normal part of departmental business. Details of each such pathfinder or pilot and its cost are not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost

Employment: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what links the new specialist disability employment programme will have with  (a) local health and social care services,  (b) further education colleges and  (c) Valuing People initiatives.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 26 February 2009
	 The procurement specification, due to be published at the end of March, will make it clear that prime providers will need to have close links to local health and social care services, further education colleges and Valuing People initiatives. This will ensure particularly that people with mental health conditions or learning disabilities will have good access to the new specialist disability employment programme. Some specialist local services will be able to refer people directly to the new programme.

European Globalisation Fund

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 422W, on EU grants and loans, when the European Globalisation Fund was established; what payments the Government has made to the fund; which EU member states have made applications for matched funding from the fund; which of these have been approved and for what purposes; how much has been paid out from the fund to date; what criteria govern the sources of matched funds; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: In his answer of 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1422W, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform stated that the European globalisation fund draws on the EU budget where there may be underspends or decommitted funds. This means that Governments do not make additional payments into the fund.
	Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Spain have had EGF applications approved, totalling €67,646,697. Germany, Portugal and Spain have further applications still to be determined, totalling €14,621,200.
	All these applications are for active labour market measures, including training, to reintegrate back into the labour market workers who lost their jobs as a result of a large scale redundancy, of at least 1,000 redundancies. This forms the main criterion for use of the fund.
	More detailed information is in the EGF Regulation of 20 December 2006 and the Commission Communication on the EGF in 2007—Review and Prospects—published on 2 July 2008. Both were deposited in the Library. The Commission have also placed these on the Europa website, along with advice and guidance on using the EGF.

Housing Benefit: Antisocial Behaviour

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) written warnings have been issued and  (b) sanctions have been applied in the pilot areas for the sanction of reduction of housing benefit related to anti-social behaviour under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2007.

Kitty Ussher: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to him on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 89W.

Incapacity Benefit: Christmas Bonus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants received the £60 Christmas bonus in 2008-09; what the cost of such bonus payments was; and what the cost of such bonus payments to incapacity benefit payment claimants was in 2007-08.

Jonathan R Shaw: The answer is in the following table:
	
		
			  Actual (2007-08) and forecasted volumes (2008-09) Christmas bonus payments to incapacity benefit claimants 
			   Volume of payments (to be) made  Total cost (£ million) 
			 2007-08 1,080,000 11 
			 2008-09 1,174,000 80 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure figures have been rounded to the nearest £ million and volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1,000. 2. The total volume of payments made in 2007-08 is not available so the figure has been estimated from the total sum paid. 3. For incapacity benefit customers Christmas bonus payments are only made to those who qualify for the long term rate. Those in receipt of severe disablement allowance and combined incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance have been excluded from the estimates. Those in receipt of pension credit and disability living allowance are not included in these estimates as the Christmas bonus hierarchy makes payments to recipients of these benefits first. 
		
	
	The 2007-08 expenditure figure for the Christmas bonus includes the normal payment of £10. The 2008-09 expenditure estimate for the Christmas bonus includes the £10 payment and the pre-Budget report 2008 announcement of an additional one-off payment of £60 to all Christmas bonus recipients.

Jobcentre Plus

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the report by Lesley Strathie, chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, to which he referred in his speech on 25 June 2008 at the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion Conference.

Tony McNulty: The Report "Review of Adviser Discretion" has been placed in the Library.

Jobcentre Plus: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were notified to the Jobcentre Plus branch which serves residents of the London Borough of Bexley in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information regarding the number of vacancies notified in the London borough of Bexley is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of va cancies notified in the London b orough of Bexley 
			   Vacancies 
			 2006 6,909 
			 2007 7,951 
			 2008 8,125 
			  Notes: 1. Data are unrounded. 2. Changes to Jobcentre Plus vacancy handling procedures have led to a major discontinuity in the vacancy statistics pre- and post- May 2006. Consequently, care should be taken in interpreting time-series data. 3. These are not whole economy figures. Coverage relates just to vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus and as such represent a market share of vacancies throughout the whole economy. This proportion varies over time, according to the occupation of the vacancy and industry of the employer, and by local area. Comprehensive estimates of all job vacancies (not just those notified to Jobcentre Plus) are available from the monthly ONS Vacancy Survey since April 2001, based on a sample of some 6,000 enterprises. However, the ONS survey is currently designed to provide national estimates only. 4. These figures are published at: www.nomisweb.co.uk  Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System

Jobcentre Plus: Civil Proceedings

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times legal action has been taken against  (a) Jobcentre Plus and  (b) individual jobcentre staff in each Jobcentre Plus district in each month since the creation of Jobcentre Plus in 2002; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of such actions.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available below regional/national level.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to employ additional Jobcentre Plus staff in each region in each of the next five years to enable Jobcentre Plus to cope with the additional responsibilities accorded to it under the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill;
	(2)  whether Jobcentre Plus staff will be given additional training in respect of their responsibilities under the proposals in Part 2 of the Welfare Reform Bill.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 February 2009
	 The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking:
	What plans he has to employ additional Jobcentre Plus staff in each region, in each of the next five years, to enable Jobcentre Plus to cope with the additional responsibilities accorded to it under the Welfare Reform Bill.
	Whether Jobcentre Plus staff will be given additional training in respect of their responsibilities under Part 2 of the Welfare Reform Bill. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus is currently undertaking detailed design and implementation planning for the range of initiatives contained within the Welfare Reform Bill. These initiatives are planned to be delivered progressively over the next three to five years. The implementation planning will include the location and timing of the specific pilots and trailblazers as outlined in the Bill, and any additional training requirements.
	I am unable to provide the information you require in advance of the conclusion of this detailed planning work.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many additional Jobcentre Plus staff he expects to be employed to take account of anticipated changes in the levels of employment in each region in each of the next five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 February 2009
	The information requested is not available.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus staff were employed in each region in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 February 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1980W, to the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central (Jenny Willott).

New Deal for Young People

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were referred to the New Deal for Young People before they had been on jobseeker's allowance for six months in each quarter since the programme was introduced, broken down by reason for early referral.

Tony McNulty: Information on the reason for early referral is not available. The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  New Deal for Young People—Starters with the early entrant indicator 
			  Quarter ending  Number 
			  1998  
			 February(1) 1,510 
			 May 9,450 
			 August 10,810 
			 November 9,100 
			   
			  1999  
			 February 7,990 
			 May 8,520 
			 August 9,080 
			 November 8,750 
			   
			  2000  
			 February 8,730 
			 May 8,090 
			 August 7,750 
			 November 7,180 
			   
			  2001  
			 February 8,090 
			 May 8,030 
			 August 8,630 
			 November 8,480 
			   
			  2002  
			 February 7,320 
			 May 9,990 
			 August 9,370 
			 November 9,230 
			   
			  2003  
			 February 9,590 
			 May 9,540 
			 August 9,820 
			 November 9,060 
			   
			  2004  
			 February 8,820 
			 May 8,910 
			 August 8,850 
			 November 8,510 
			   
			  2005  
			 February 8,850 
			 May 9,000 
			 August 8,010 
			 November 7,010 
			   
			  2006  
			 February 7,480 
			 May 7,700 
			 August 7,270 
			 November 6,980 
			   
			  2007  
			 February 7,800 
			 May 8,350 
			 August 8,840 
			 November 7,350 
			   
			  2008  
			 February 8,470 
			 May 9,000 
			 August 9,590 
			 November 9,180 
			   
			 Total 370,070 
			 (1) Figure is for January to February 1998.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The New Deal for Young People pilots began in January 1998 and full national roll-out occurred in April 1998. Latest data are to November 2008.  3. Early entrants are estimated to be those participants who join New Deal for Young People before reaching six months unemployed. 4. This information is available at our website link http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/tabtool_nd.asp   Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate.

New Deal for Young People

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged under 24 years old have claimed the New Deal allowance in each month since the New Deal for Young People was introduced.

Tony McNulty: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Pension Credit: Holocaust Victims

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which payments made to holocaust victims are exempted from the calculations made to determine eligibility for the pension credit.

Rosie Winterton: Lump sum payments made to compensate those who were slave labourers, forced labourers or suffered personal injuries or property loss during the second world war are fully disregarded when calculating entitlement to pension credit.
	In addition payments made to parents whose child died during the second world war are fully disregarded when calculating entitlement to pension credit.
	Pensions paid by the German or Austrian Government which are the equivalent of the British state pension are fully taken into account. However pensions paid under special provisions by the German or Austrian Government to victims of National Socialist persecution are taken into account subject to a £10 disregard when calculating entitlement to pension credit.
	Payments made to holocaust victims are not related to the German pensions paid to certain individuals who fled here from Nazi Germany as children before the start of the second world war in an initiative known as the 'Kindertransport'. Recent legislation in the Pensions Act 2008 has enabled these persons to opt to revoke their pre-1948 British national insurance contributions while retaining their British state pension with the effect of improving their German pension entitlement.

Personal Accounts

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the income distribution of those who will be automatically enrolled into a personal account under the Pensions Bill 2007 is.

Rosie Winterton: The Pensions Act 2008 requires employers to automatically enrol eligible workers into a qualifying work-based pension arrangement. Employers will choose the qualifying scheme they use, which could be the new personal accounts scheme.
	The information in the table summarises the income distribution for those aged 22 to state pension age, working in the private sector, not already saving into a work-based pension scheme and earning more than £5,035 using data from the 2007 annual survey of hours and earnings.
	
		
			  Income distribution of those eligible for automatic enrolment into a work-based pension scheme 
			  Salary b and  Percentage /£ 
			  Average  i ncome  
			 £5,000-£9,999 19 
			 £10,000-£14,999 22 
			 £15,000-£19,999 21 
			 £20,000-£24,999 14 
			 £25,000-£29,999 9 
			 £30,000-£34,999 5 
			 £35,000-£39,999 3 
			 £40,000-£44,999 2 
			 £45,000+ 4 
			   
			 Median (£) 17,000 
			 Mean (£) 21,000 
			  Note : All those aged 22 to state pension age who work in the private sector, are not already saving into a work-based pension scheme and earn more than £5,035. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: Annual survey of hours and earnings—2007.

Personal Accounts

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate to the nearest whole pound the weekly pension income from a personal accounts pension for a single person auto-enrolling into a personal account in 2012 at the age of  (a) 22,  (b) 32,  (c) 42 and  (d) 52, earning a salary of (i) £11,500, (ii) £12,500, (iii) £13,500, (iv) £14,500, (v) £15,500, (vi) £16,500, (vii) £17,500, (viii) £18,500, (ix) £19,500, (x) £20,500, (xi) £21,500 and (xii) £22,500 which rises annually during their career each year in line with earnings, where that person stopped working at 68, annuitised at 68, and had no savings other than a personal account pension pot.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the expected gross weekly private pension and total net weekly income for a male in the age and earnings groups requested.
	
		
			  Retirement income for an individual who starts saving in 2012 
			  £ 
			   Age in 2012 
			   22  32 
			  Salary in 2012  Gross private pension income  Net total income  Gross private pension income  Net total income 
			 £11,500 24 186 17 181 
			 £12,500 28 189 20 183 
			 £13,500 31 191 23 185 
			 £14,500 35 195 26 188 
			 £15,500 39 198 29 190 
			 £16,500 43 201 32 193 
			 £17,500 47 204 35 196 
			 £18,500 51 207 37 198 
			 £19,500 55 210 40 201 
			 £20,500 59 213 43 203 
			 £21,500 63 216 46 206 
			 £22,500 66 219 49 208 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			   Age in 2012 
			   42  52 
			  Salary in 2012  Gross private pension income  Net total income  Gross private pension income  Net total income 
			 £11,500 12 169 7 164 
			 £12,500 14 172 8 165 
			 £13,500 16 174 9 167 
			 £14,500 18 177 10 168 
			 £15,500 20 180 11 170 
			 £16,500 22 182 12 172 
			 £17,500 24 185 14 175 
			 £18,500 25 187 15 178 
			 £19,500 27 190 16 181 
			 £20,500 29 192 17 183 
			 £21,500 31 195 18 185 
			 £22,500 33 197 19 188 
			  Note : These examples assume an annual management charge of 0.5 per cent., standard assumptions about factors such as investment growth and a lifestyled fund and phasing of contributions over a three year period. The whole of the pension pot is annuitised using RPI linked annuities, assuming the annuitant is male. Individuals are assumed to start working at the age of 22, with a state pension age of 68 and to contribute 5 per cent. (including tax relief) of their qualifying earnings and to receive 3 per cent. of their qualifying earnings from their employer. Net total income is total retirement income after tax for private pension income, basic state pension, second state pension and income related benefits. Figures are in 2008-09 earnings terms

Progression to Work Model

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of personal advisers required to administer the Progression to Work model; at what Civil Service pay band the personal advisers administering the model will be graded; and what estimate he has made of the additional cost of the scheme to his Department.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 February 2009
	 A cadre of skilled and capable personal advisers will be absolutely essential to effectively implement the Progression to Work model. The Department made clear in its recent discussion document "Realising Potential: developing personalised conditionality and support" that it will be necessary to think through the implications for the adviser role and implement a workforce development strategy within Jobcentre Plus. This is an issue we will discuss in detail with stakeholders. As such no final decisions have yet been made on the grading or number of personal advisers necessary to deliver the Progression to Work pathfinders. However all Jobcentre Plus personal advisers are currently band C grade staff.
	The cost of the new Progression to Work pathfinders will depend on precisely what the personalised conditionality and work-related activity looks like. At this stage therefore, costs are uncertain. The impact assessment associated with the White Paper "Raising Expectations and Increasing Support—reforming welfare for the future" estimated that the increase in work-focused interviews and provision to support work and skills-related activity could cost up to an extra £20 million a year for parents with younger children. For employment and support allowance customers we are still working through the detailed design of the policy and assessing the appropriate balance between Jobcentre Plus and providers. Additional costs will be met from within the current agreed Department spending plans.

Rapid Response Service: East Riding

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many redundancies in the East Riding of Yorkshire have been designated as significant and dealt with by the Rapid Response Service; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 3 February 2009
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how many redundancies in the East Riding of Yorkshire have been designated as significant and dealt with by the Rapid Response Service. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	A strengthened Rapid Response Service was launched on 12 November, doubling national funding from £3 million to £6 million in the current year and doubled again to £12million in 2009/10. Through the Rapid Response Service, Jobcentre Plus has access to funds to enable those individuals made redundant to receive the necessary help to get them back into work.
	19 companies to date in the East Riding of Yorkshire have been designated as significant redundancies and dealt with by the Rapid Response Service. Of the 19 companies, 3 received full Rapid Response Funding to retrain redundant workers with the rest receiving retraining through other funding streams. In total 2,268 individuals accessed the Rapid Response Service.

Social Security Benefits

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the amount paid by his Department in benefits in relation to children diagnosed with foetal anti-convulsant syndrome caused by mothers receiving sodium valproate treatment during pregnancy in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: No estimate has been made of the amount of benefits paid in relation to children diagnosed with foetal anti-convulsant syndrome caused by mothers receiving sodium valproate treatment during pregnancy. However, the disabilities associated with this syndrome may mean that a child could be entitled to disability living allowance depending on the level of their personal care needs and/or mobility difficulties arising from those disabilities.

Social Security Benefits: Obesity

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of both employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit whose capability of work is limited by obesity.

Jonathan R Shaw: Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10(th) Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the Personal Capability Assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. For example, the decision for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the grounds of obesity would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the Personal Capability Assessment.
	DWP will be publishing National Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance in summer 2009.
	As at August 2008, of the 2,632,000 claimants of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, 2,130 claimants had a primary diagnosis of obesity.
	 Note
	Data is rounded to the nearest 10.
	 Source
	DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS

State Retirement Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of women who have reached state pension age since April 2008 eligible to buy back one or more year of Class 3 national insurance contributions under the measures contained in the Pensions Act 2008; how many such women have taken up that option; whether people reaching state pension age are automatically notified of their rights under the Pensions Act 2008 when they are prompted to claim that state pension; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 9 February 2009
	The number of women who are estimated to reach state pension age between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 and eligible to pay one or more year of Class 3 National Insurance contributions under the measure contained in the Pensions Act 2008 is 145,000.
	No one can take up the option before the measure comes into force on 6 April 2009.
	The Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs are currently working together to agree business procedures for the measure and what changes may be needed to leaflets, letters and forms.
	 Note:
	Figures refer to women who are estimated to be resident in the UK and overseas.
	 Source:
	Information about people's National Insurance records has been obtained from the Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, 2005 release. Numbers have been estimated based on mortality assumptions for Great Britain from the 2004 based population projections.

Winter Fuel Payments: Chronically Sick

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's estimate is of the cost of extending the winter fuel allowance to terminally ill people who would not otherwise qualify, excluding the one-off additional payment of £50 for 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: Winter fuel payments are made to people aged 60 or over including those who are disabled or terminally ill. The heating costs of terminally ill people arise throughout the year, not just in winter and disability living allowance provides additional weekly financial support of up to £5,915 a year related to an individual's circumstances.
	The latest available data suggest that the annual cost of extending winter fuel payments to people aged under 60 in receipt of disability living allowance under the special rules applicable to people who are terminally ill and not expected to live for more than six months is estimated to be about £5 million. This is an estimate for 2008-09 and is based on a £200 payment, which excludes the one off additional payment of £50 for this year.
	It is not possible to determine how many of the estimated beneficiaries live in a household that would already be entitled to a winter fuel payment.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to Question 248845, on benefit payments to persons subject to control orders, tabled by the hon. Member for Newark on 13 January 2009.

Tony McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 23 February 2009,  Official Report , column 88W.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Adult Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on preparing and publishing the Evaluation of the impact of skills for life learning report.

Si�n Simon: I have been asked to reply.
	The costs involved in publishing and printing in respect of the published Evaluation of the Impact of Skills for Life Learning reports are approximately 400.
	Three reports have been published as follows:
	Evaluation of the impact of basic skills learning: report on Wave 1;
	Evaluation of the Impact of Skills for Life Learning: Report on Sweep 2; and
	Evaluation of the Impact of Skills for Life Learning: Longitudinal Survey of Learners, Wave 3.

Child Minding

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to increase the annual fee for child minders on  (a) the Early Years Register and  (b) the Ofsted Childcare Register.

Beverley Hughes: Following our consultation Childcare Act 2006: Future Approach to Fees and Subsidies we announced in June 2008 increases to the Early Years Register fees for child minders from 25 in 2008/09 to 30 in 2009/10 and 35 in 2010/11. There are no plans to increase fees for the voluntary or compulsory parts of the General Childcare Register in 2009.

Child Minding

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the number of childminders who can join a locally-accredited childminding network is limited.

Beverley Hughes: The Government place no limits on the number of child minders who can join locally accredited child minding networks. Local authorities can limit places on networks according to resources available to them and their assessment of the need for networked child minders.
	The Government's recent document Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare indicates that we will work with stakeholders to improve access to networks in all local authority areas.

Child Minding

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many locally-accredited child minding networks have reported demand for places on networks in the last 12 months.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are committed to ensuring access to high quality provision through a range of providers, including child minders. This is why in the recent document Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare we clearly committed ourselves to working with stakeholders to improve access to networks in all local authority areas.
	Specific information on the demand for places on child minding networks is not collected centrally.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the effects of being on an Ofsted register are for child care settings.

Beverley Hughes: Registered providers on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register are required to meet the requirements of those registers, for example, in relation to ratio requirements, staff qualifications and CRB checks and are inspected by Ofsted against the requirements. Full details of the registration requirements can be found at:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Forms-and-guidance/Browse-all-by/Care-and-local-services/Childcare/Registration
	Registered providers are able to access training, support and advice from local authorities.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of men working in childcare settings; and what steps he is taking to increase that number.

Beverley Hughes: The 2007 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey indicates that, in the majority of setting types, between 1 and 2 per cent. of staff are male.
	The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is taking the lead in a national recruitment campaign that focuses on encouraging more men into the children's work force. Activity at the end of January secured substantial coverage in the national press and media. This campaign is being aligned with Early Years Professional Status recruitment activity, which will also include a focus on underrepresented groups including men.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children in each decile of income deprivation were excluded from child care settings in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The information is not collected centrally.

Departmental Data protection

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I can confirm that the Department uses the WPA2 protocol to protect its corporate wireless network, which has been fully accredited by CESG, the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance.
	The Department also provides a completely discrete wireless network for visitors to the Department to access the internet. This has no connection to the DCSF corporate network and does not utilise WPA2.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1322W, on departmental public expenditure, how much of the 800 million capital spending to be brought forward will be spent in each local authority area; what projects the money will be spent on; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Applications from local authorities are currently being considered, and we will make an announcement shortly.

Pupil Referral Units: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which pupil referral units were assessed as inadequate by Ofsted in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This is a matter for Ofsted. HMCI Christine Gilbert has written to the hon. Member and a copy of the reply has been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 20 February 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Tables A-K show all pupil referral units which have been placed in special measures in each academic year since 1997. Special measures is an Ofsted category, defined at present in the Education Act 2005, meaning that a school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.
	Please be aware that the framework for inspecting pupil referral units changed in January 2000, September 2003 and September 2005. As a result, there has been no consistent inadequate category over this period. These tables are therefore limited to those pupil referral units placed in special measures, as this category has been in place throughout the period in question.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to right hon. Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Pupil referral units placed in  special measures in 2007/08 (8 p upil  r eferral  u nits) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 108754 Sunderland Pupil Referral Unit Sunderland 
			 112096 West Cumbria Learning Centre Cumbria 
			 113657 Pupil Referral Unit, Poole Poole 
			 115838 The Bridge Education Centre Hampshire 
			 125813 Area BOut of School Learning Service West Sussex 
			 131193 Havering KS4 PRU Havering 
			 134298 Mill Road Pupil Referral Unit, Ipors Centre Liverpool 
			 134880 Burton PRU Staffordshire 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 2006/07 (7 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 120769 Central Area Pupil Referral Unit Norfolk 
			 131182 Out of School Learning Service, Area A West Sussex 
			 131629 Alternative Centre for Education Darlington 
			 132997 Stafford Teaching Unit At the Stables Staffordshire 
			 134712 The Flixton Centre Trafford 
			 134869 Basingstoke School Plus Hampshire 
			 134983 Southwark Inclusive Learning Service KS4 Centre Southwark 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 2005/06 (13 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 134757 Caradon EOOS Centre Cornwall 
			 134754 North Cornwall EOOS Centre Cornwall 
			 134752 Restormel EOOS Centre Cornwall 
			 134275 New Directions Islington 
			 100391 Project 16 Islington 
			 134128 Brookside School Lancashire 
			 134127 The Oswaldtwistle School Lancashire 
			 134346 Ashdale Middlesbrough 
			 134320 Young People out of School Project Milton Keynes 
			 134368 The Tuition Centre North East Lincolnshire 
			 134521 Alternative Provision PRU Nottingham 
			 134157 ED-START Stoke-on-Trent 
			 134159 Medical PRU Stoke-on-Trent 
		
	
	
		
			  Table D: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 2004/05 (2 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 132741 The New Broadwalk PRU Salford 
			 134048 Moving On Pupil Referral Unit Croydon 
		
	
	
		
			  Table E: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 2003/04 (9 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 100555 Norwood Secondary Centre Lambeth 
			 111520 Eston Centre (EOTAS) Redcar and Cleveland 
			 130993 Kidderminster Pupil Referral Unit Worcestershire 
			 132133 Kingsmead Centre Derby 
			 133572 Warrington Horizons Warrington 
			 133673 Ethos Pupil Referral Unit Kirklees 
			 133678 Primary Partnership Centre Salford 
			 133679 Rawcliffe Pupil Referral Unit East Riding of Yorkshire 
			 133735 Hornsea Pupil Referral Unit East Riding of Yorkshire 
		
	
	
		
			  Table F: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 2002/03 (8 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 101584 Kingswood Centre Pupil Referral Unit Bromley 
			 101972 Enfield Secondary Tuition Centre Enfield 
			 107191 Airview Pre-Assessment Centre Bradford 
			 115847 The Forest Education Centre Hampshire 
			 119114 Marles Hill Pupil Referral Unit Lancashire 
			 122397 Oakdale Support Centre Pupil Referral Unit Nottinghamshire 
			 123638 Yeovil Centre Pupil Referral Unit Somerset 
			 124919 Sidlow Bridge Centre Surrey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table G: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 2001/02 (6 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 109425 Orchard Centre Luton 
			 119105 Preston Pupil Referral Unit Lancashire 
			 119113 Minster Lodge Pupil Referral Unit Lancashire 
			 124529 Albany Centre Suffolk 
			 131619 Lime House Teaching Unit Walsall 
			 132034 Silverbank Centre Medway 
		
	
	
		
			  Table H: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 2000/01 (5 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 102957 Secondary Support Service Sutton 
			 104287 The Braybrook Centre Wolverhampton 
			 107476 Beaconsfield PRU Calderdale 
			 110204 Manor Road PRU Milton Keynes 
			 132032 Ridgewaye Centre Pupil Referral Unit Kent 
		
	
	
		
			  Table I: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 1999/2000 (8 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 104288 The Orchard Centre Pupil Referral Unit Wolverhampton 
			 105831 The Masbrough Centre Rotherham 
			 115836 South Farnborough Pupil Referral Unit Hampshire 
			 130314 Crossways Pupil Referral Unit Dorset 
			 131515 Bleach Green Centre Gateshead 
			 131588 The Martlet Pupil Referral Unit Nottinghamshire 
			 131532 Kirk Hallam Pupil Referral Unit Derbyshire 
			 131640 Waterside Education Unit West Berkshire 
		
	
	
		
			  Table J: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 1998/99 (6 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 100392 Special Learning Centre (Secondary Base) Islington 
			 108139 The Springfield Centre Wakefield 
			 109425 Charles Street Tuition Centre Pupil Referral Unit Luton 
			 110600 CSSC Ascham Cambridgeshire 
			 125497 The Milverton Centre Pupil Referral Unit Warwickshire 
			 130981 The Priory Centre Wakefield 
		
	
	
		
			  Table K: Pupil referral units placed in special measures in 1997/98 (5 pupil referral units) 
			  URN  School name  LA name 
			 108567 Abbotsfield Pupil Referral Unit North Tyneside 
			 115479 The Hatherley Centre Gloucestershire 
			 115838 Woodside Centre PRU Hampshire 
			 123971 The Queensbury Vocational Centre Stoke-on-Trent 
			 124925 Staines Tuition Centre Surrey

Schools: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department encourages schools to provide extra-curricular activities in the interests of promoting and educating pupils on animal welfare issues.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The new secondary curriculum has a range of opportunities for schools to teach about animal welfare. Citizenship helps young people to consider a wide range of political, social, ethical and moral issues. Pupils should also be taught about the way in which the environment and living things need protection. In personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE education), pupils learn that people and other living things have needs, and that they have responsibilities to meet them. Teachers have the freedom and flexibility to decide how to teach the curriculum and what activities best suits the needs of their learners.
	To support and inspire all schools to harness the full potential of the living world as a cross-curricular teaching and learning resource, both within and beyond the school grounds the Department funds the Growing Schools programme. It focuses on farming, as well as food and environmental issues, and on ensuring pupils are given first hand, practical experience in the outdoor classroom. Through Growing Schools the Department supports the school farms network which offers support and assistance to school farms through materials and CPD.

Schools: Nurses

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time equivalent school nurses there were in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not held centrally.
	School nurses are generally employed by primary care trusts (PCTs) although some school nurses will be directly employed by both state and independent schools. The national health service workforce census does not capture these. A number of qualified school nurses will also work across PCT boundaries but be directly employed by one single PCT.
	A table showing the number of full-time equivalent school nurses employed by PCTs and national health service trusts from 2004-07 has been placed in the Library.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1730-32W, on special educational needs, if he will provide a breakdown of the figures given by  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools: Number of pupils( 1,2) position in January each year 2004-08England 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Maintained primary schools( 3)  
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and have statemented special educational needs 18,180 17,120 15,600 14,730 14,050 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and have non-statemented special educational needs 198,760 196,160 191,960 193,730 194,090 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and were children in care 2,660 2,760 2,600 2,550 2,420 
			 Number of pupils who had statemented special educational needs and were children in care 1,520 1,600 1,460 1,520 1,500 
			 Number of pupils who had non-statemented special educational needs and were children in care 5,880 5,980 5,830 6,320 6,350 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals, had statemented special educational needs and were children in care 230 240 210 190 200 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals, had non-statemented special educational needs and were children in care 1,500 1,530 1,350 1,360 1,320 
			   
			  Maintained secondary schools( 3)  
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and have statemented special educational needs 21,230 19,860 18,430 16,840 15,190 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and have non-statemented special educational needs 123,340 125,410 130,430 132,240 136,510 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals and were children in care 2,110 2,310 2,470 2,360 2,300 
			 Number of pupils who had statemented special educational needs and were children in care 1,700 1,850 2,170 2,280 2,210 
			 Number of pupils who had non-statemented special educational needs and were children in care 4,760 5,310 6,400 7,270 7,730 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals, had statemented special educational needs and were children in care 230 250 250 250 220 
			 Number of pupils who were eligible for free school meals, had non-statemented special educational needs and were children in care 930 1,050 1,160 1,150 1,190 
			 (1) Includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils. (2) All pupils aged 5-19. (3) Includes middle schools as deemed.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many non-maintained special schools had  (a) between 100 and 200 pupils,  (b) between 201 and 300 pupils,  (c) between 301 and 400 pupils and  (d) over 400 pupils in 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Non maintained special schools: number of schools by size( 1) ; position at January 2008England 
			   Number of schools 
			 Between 100 and 200 pupils 9 
			 Between 201 and 300 pupils 1 
			 Between 301 and 400 pupils 0 
			 Over 400 pupils 0 
			 Total 10 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils.  Source: School Census

Special Educational Needs

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing  (a) special needs education and  (b) social care for children diagnosed with foetal anti-convulsant syndrome resulting from mothers receiving sodium valproate treatment during pregnancy in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The budgeted net expenditure by local authorities in England on special educational needs is 5,098,916,000(1) for the financial year 2008-09. The Department does not collect data about local authorities' expenditure specifically on social care provision for children diagnosed with foetal anti-convulsant syndrome and no estimate has been made of the cost.
	(1) The data are drawn from local authorities Children, Schools and Families Financial Data Collection Budget (Tables 1 and 2) submitted to the DCSF.

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of pupils with statemented special educational needs of behavioural, emotional or social difficulties were given  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four,  (e) five and  (f) more than five fixed-period exclusions from (i) mainstream primary and (ii) mainstream secondary schools in 2007-08.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on exclusions for the 2007/08 school year will not be available until the summer.

Teaching Methods

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of the comparative effect on educational attainment of streaming classes by ability and using mixed-ability classes.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Analysis of research suggests that no single model of pupil grouping will be of benefit to all pupils all of the time. For example, there is some evidence that being taught in a mixed ability class can be beneficial for low attainers, but that ability-based classes can be beneficial for high attainers.
	We promote settingthe grouping of pupils according to their ability in a particular subjectas an effective way of ensuring that individual pupils are receiving personalised help appropriate to where they are in their learning. Similarly, we promote effective pupil grouping practices, and guided work, as tools for delivering the most appropriate curriculum to each individual in mixed ability classes.
	We do not promote streamingwhere pupils are assigned to classes on the basis of an overall assessment of their general ability and pupils remain in their streamed classes across the majority of subjectsas it assumes that children will have the same level of ability in all subjects.
	We published Grouping Pupils for Success in September 2006 which provides guidance on effective setting and grouping practices, and highlights their associated advantages and disadvantages. Personalised LearningA Practical Guide, published in October 2008, also has chapters on both High quality teaching and learning and Pupil Grouping, which describe the repertoire of teaching strategies and techniques practitioners can use to address the varied needs of a mixed-ability class. Copies of both of these documents have been placed in the House Libraries.

TREASURY

Banks: Iceland

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the authorities in Iceland on payments to UK depositors in Icelandic banks; what assessment he has made of the position of these depositors in respect of compensation for monies lost; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Icelandic government on Icelandic banks in respect of UK depositors and creditors.

Ian Pearson: The Government have taken urgent action to protect the interests of UK depositors in Icelandic banks and are actively pursuing a full resolution. The Government have and will continue to ensure that Parliament and the public are updated on developments as and when possible, without compromising negotiations with the Icelandic Government.
	The Chancellor, along with the Governor of the Bank of England and the chairman of the FSA, gave details of discussions related to Icelandic banking situation to the Common's Treasury committee on 3 November 2008.
	The Government continue to work closely with the Icelandic authorities to ensure the fair treatment for UK depositors and creditors.

Banks: USA

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether UK-based banks with entities or subsidiaries in the US are able to gain access to the US's Troubled Assets Relief Programme.

Ian Pearson: The Troubled Assets Relief Programme (TARP) is a US scheme and eligibility criteria for the TARP program are a matter for the US Administration.

Banks: USA

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers the Financial Services Authority has to investigate the operations of subsidiaries of United States-based banks operating in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: This is an operational matter for the Financial Services Authority. I understand that the chairman of the FSA, Lord Turner, will write to the hon. Gentleman.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions  (a) IT security policies have been breached by employees and  (b) a member of staff has been sanctioned for a breach of such policies in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury conduct periodic audits of IT systems and business processes, which include, where relevant, the degree to which IT security policies are being followed. In the last 12 months, there have been no identified cases of IT security policies has being broken by employees, and no employees have been sanctioned.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's IT security hierarchy.

Angela Eagle: A copy of HM Treasury's IT security hierarchy will be placed in the Library of the House. Reference can be made to:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmt_orgchart.pdf
	to see how the hierarchy fits into the overall HM Treasury organisational structure.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what scanning for vulnerabilities his Department conducts of each of its IT devices; what method is used for IT device scans; and how many vulnerabilities have been detected as a result of such scans in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: The Department has a number of measures in place to scan for, and report on, vulnerabilities, including the use of more than one anti-virus software product. It is departmental policy not to publish precise details of the measures used and their detection rates, as this could provide useful information for individuals who might seek to attack our IT systems.

EC Budget

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the nature was of the fines levied on the United Kingdom recorded under Article 7 1 0 of the European Communities budget for  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007.

Ian Pearson: Chapter Seven, Article 7 1 0 of the EC budgetfines, periodic penalty payments and other penaltiesonly relates to fines imposed by the European Commission on companies for infringements of EC competition rules and does not apply to member states. Details of competition fines imposed on companies in cartel cases by European Commission decisions are listed on the website of the Directorate-General Competition:
	http://ec.europa.eu/competition/cartels/overview/faqs_en.html

Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) HM Treasury residual estate is in 2008-09.

Angela Eagle: HMRC does not incur empty property business rates for vacant properties on their estate because the liability for rates passes to their PFI contractor as soon as HMRC vacate a property.
	The estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties on the HM Treasury residual estate is 200,970.

Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by the Government Actuary's Department is in 2008-09.

Angela Eagle: The Government Actuary's Department does not have any vacant property and has not incurred any cost in empty property business rates.

Equality: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) funding and  (b) other resources HM Revenue and Customs has provided to each regional equality and diversity partnership in the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs has not provided funding or other resources to any of the regional equality and diversity partnerships in the last 12 months.

EU Grants and Loans

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much European capital funding has been made available to  (a) the UK,  (b) the North East and  (c) Tees Valley District (i) since 1997 and (ii) in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures on European capital funding that has been made available to the UK, the North East and Tees Valley since 1997 are not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The following table shows European structural funds allocations to the North East and the United Kingdom for the years 1997 to 2008.
	
		
			  United Kingdom structural funds allocations  (excluding community initiative/cross border programmes) 
			 million, 1994 prices 
			   Total North East  England  t otal UK 
			 (1)1997 68 1,099 
			 (1)1998 177 1,560 
			 (1)1999 122 1,529 
			 2000 70 2,633 
			 2001 71 2,604 
			 2002 72 2,574 
			 2003 73 2,540 
			 2004 66 2,246 
			 2005 66 2,251 
			 2006 67 2,200 
			 2007 78 1,436 
			 2008 78 1,367 
			 (1)( )Excludes objective 3, 4 and 5a.

Financial Services Authority: Public Appointments

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will appoint a senior official from the Bank Workers' Union to the post of deputy chairman of the Financial Services Authority.

Ian Pearson: There are no plans to make such an appointment.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in tax revenue which would occur if incomes at 100,000 and above were taxed at a marginal rate of 50 per cent. in 2009-10.

Stephen Timms: The table 'Additional full-year yield from the introduction of additional higher rates of tax on TAXABLE incomes over a specific amount' contains comprehensive information on income tax and is available in the Library of the House of Commons. The table excludes any estimate of behavioural response.
	The version of the table currently available is based upon the 2005-06 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward to 2008-09 in line with Budget 2008, including changes made on the13 May 2008. An updated table for 2009-10 based on the latest available survey will be placed in the Library before the summer recess.

Inflation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England on measures to maintain the target level of inflation.

Ian Pearson: The Governor of the Bank of England and the Chancellor discuss economic and financial developments on a regular basis.
	Monetary policy decisions are made by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England. The MPC has full operational independence from the Government in deciding how to meet the Government's inflation target of 2 per cent. on a consumer price index basis.

International Monetary Fund

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the International Monetary Fund on its assessment of  (a) public and  (b) private debt in the UK since January 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government continue to work closely with international partners in responding to the financial crisis. An IMF delegation visited the UK between 12 and 23 May 2008. During that time they held a large number of meetings, including with Ministers, Government officials, and external organisations, at which a broad range of economic issues was discussed.

International Monetary Fund

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was discussed in the meetings between his Department and representatives of the International Monetary Fund during their recent visit to the UK in May 2008; whether a record of each meeting was kept; who was present at each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: An IMF delegation visited the UK between the 12 and 23 May 2008. During that time they held a large number of meetings, including with Ministers, Government officials, and external organisations, at which a broad range of economic issues was discussed. These meetings then informed the Concluding Statement, which the IMF mission team published immediately following the Mission in May 2008, and the Article IV Staff Report and Public Information Notice (PIN), both of which were published by the IMF in August 2008.

International Monetary Fund

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reports on the British economy have been produced by the International Monetary Fund in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. Staff reports produced in the context of these consultations can be found on the IMF's website at
	www.imf.org/external/country/GBR/index.htm

Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who regulates Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander's (KSF's) activities in the UK; what steps  (a) the Government and  (b) other regulatory bodies have taken in relation to KSF assets in the last six months; what those assets were valued at (i) 1 September 2008 and (ii) the latest date for which figures are available; what compensation arrangements apply to (A) individuals, (B) local authorities and (C) other public bodies who have lost funds deposited in KSF; and what the relationship is between KSF and KSF Isle of Man.

Ian Pearson: Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Ltd. (KSF), a UK subsidiary of Kaupthing Bank hf, is incorporated under English law and regulated by the FSA.
	On 8 October 2008, the FSA concluded that Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Ltd. no longer met threshold conditions and was in default for the purposes of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The Treasury, using an order under the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008, transferred KSF's deposit book of Kaupthing Edge accounts to ING Direct. The Government also committed to paying out in full FSCS eligible depositors whose accounts were not transferred.
	The remainder of KSF's business was subsequently placed into administration following due legal process. The administrators are responsible for managing the remainder of KSF's business and loan book to maximise recovery for creditors. The administrators will continue to deal with the assets in compliance with insolvency law and the provisions of the transfer order (including those provisions of the transfer order which confer certain limited functions on the Treasury in relation to the assets of KSF). Those depositors that are ineligible for FSCS compensation will be creditors of the bank in the normal way and paid out in accordance with UK insolvency procedures.
	Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man) (KSF IoM) is not a subsidiary of KSF in the UK, but of the Icelandic parent company.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 20 October 2008, on behalf of Miss Y. Buckoke, which was acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/61949/2008;
	(2)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 15 October 2008, on behalf of Mr J. Harris, which was acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/6198/2008;
	(3)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 27 October 2008 on behalf of Mr Richard Pointing, which was acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/62375/2008;
	(4)  when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 3 November 2008, regarding the Lloyds TSB/HBOS merger sent on behalf of Ryan Collier, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63282/2008;
	(5)  when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 11 November 2008, regarding Icesave, sent on behalf of Rik Artrill, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63121/2008.

Ian Pearson: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Financial Secretary hopes to be in a position to reply to the hon. Member shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 17 November 2008, sent on behalf of Chris Bolton, regarding HM Revenue and Customs, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63353/2008.

Stephen Timms: I replied to the hon. Member on 23 December.

National Debt

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much national debt was repaid in each year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 12 January 2009
	The information requested is available on the Debt Management Office's website at:
	www.dmo.gov.uk
	and the Office for National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk

Revenue and Customs: North West

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that any in-house training undertaken by employees of HM Revenue and Customs offices at  (a) Regian House, Liverpool,  (b) Dukes House, Southport and  (c) Birchen House, Birkenhead results in recognised accreditation for those employees.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs runs various programmes of training, to support its employees in the professional delivery of services to the public. Some of those programmes are accredited.
	Programmes are accredited by awarding bodies where there is benefit to the taxpayer in doing so. Employees at the offices cited have available to them the full range of training needed to undertake their duties. Accreditation is not sought on the basis of location, but where employees in a location successfully complete accredited programmes they will receive the recognised accreditation.

Revenue and Customs: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs and its agencies have spent on external public relations in the last 24 months.

Stephen Timms: HMRC and its agencies will have paid 318,715 to external public relation companies to run marketing campaigns raising public awareness of tax and benefits in 2007-08 and 2008-09 by the end of March 2009.

Saving Gateway Accounts

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the availability of Saving Gateway accounts to recipients of carer's allowance.

Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the comments I made on the floor of the House on 25 February 2009,  Official Report, column 296.

Supply Estimates

Liam Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to lay the 2009-10 Main Estimates before the House.

Yvette Cooper: The main estimates are presented within 25 working days after the Budget as normal, subject to Parliament sitting. If Parliament is not sitting the main estimates will be laid once Parliament has returned. The exact date will be determined shortly.

Taxation: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) taxes and  (b) other fiscal levies his Department can raise in (i) Gibraltar, (ii) Anguilla, (iii) the Cayman Islands, (iv) the Falkland Islands, (v) the Isle of Man, (vi) Jersey and (vii) Guernsey.

Stephen Timms: Each of these jurisdictions is fiscally autonomous and United Kingdom taxes do not, therefore, extend to them.
	It is important however that all of these jurisdictions provide assistance to the United Kingdom as required, to ensure that UK taxes are correctly assessed and enforced.

UK Financial Investments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many staff of UK Financial Investments have remuneration packages of  (a) between 100,000 and 149,999 and  (b) over 150,000 a year;
	(2)  what the payroll expenditure of UK Financial Investments Limited is.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 23 February 2009
	 I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 684W.

Valuation Office: Databases

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 20 November 2008,  Official Report, column 776W, on the Valuation Office: reorganisation, whether the Valuation Office Agency will be able to use property data previously held by the Rent Service for council tax valuations once the transfer of functions has taken place.

Stephen Timms: The extent to which the VOA can use property data held by the Rent Service for council tax valuations is unaffected by the transfer of the Rent Service.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the UK's carbon dioxide emissions, defined in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, were in each year since 1990, without adjustment for the effect of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Joan Ruddock: UK greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions are published as National Statistics.
	Carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Kyoto Protocol and without the effect of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 1990-2007, can be found in Annex ABreakdown of Headline results, on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/index.htm

Energy Supply: Research

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the Government are spending on  (a) nuclear fusion research and  (b) research into renewables in 2008-09.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills provides funding to the Technology Strategy Board and the research councils. The Technology Strategy Board estimate of expenditure on applied research and development into renewables to date during 2008-09 is 10.9 million. The research councils' estimated expenditure on research and related training in 2008-09 is:
	
		
			million 
			 Nuclear fusion(1) 35.7 
			 Renewables(2) 37 
			 (1 )Includes underspend carried over from 2007-08 and a payment for some work carried out in 2007-08. (2 )NB Incomplete as data are not available from all councils. Includes research on networks and energy storage. 
		
	
	In addition, the research councils are providing funding of 13.88 million over the period 2004-09 for the UK Energy Research Centre (which undertakes a range of research relating to sustainable energy, including renewables), and energy is included in the work of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research (which has some 15.8 million funding from the research councils over 2000-08). The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Technology Strategy Board also provide funding to the Energy Technologies Institute, which is establishing a portfolio of development projects in low carbon energy technologies, including renewables.
	The Carbon Trust, which receives funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, estimate expenditure of 4.1 million in 2008-09 on research into renewables.

Energy: Conservation

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish the regulations for the Community Energy Saving Programme.

Joan Ruddock: The consultation for the Community Energy Saving Programme was published on 12 February 2009.
	We will publish a draft order in the coming weeks, to illustrate how the policy proposals contained in the consultation document might be given legal effect.
	The order will then be finalised once the Government have received and considered responses to the consultation process.

Fuel Poverty: EU Countries

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on rates of fuel poverty in other EU member states.

Joan Ruddock: Comparable rates of fuel poverty are not produced across other EU member states. The Department holds fuel poverty rates for the UK and each country within it.

Fuel Poverty: Mobile Homes

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to reduce fuel poverty among park home residents.

Joan Ruddock: Those residing in Park Homes are eligible for the Warm Front scheme providing that they receive one of the income or disability related qualifying benefits. However, many Park Homes can prove 'hard to treat' and may not be suitable for some of the measures currently available under Warm Front.
	However, Warm Front is currently reviewing alternative products which could be used to heat and insulate park home properties, to assess their suitability for inclusion in the scheme.

Fuel Poverty: Travelling People

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to reduce fuel poverty among Gypsy and Traveller communities.

Joan Ruddock: Those living in Gypsy and Traveller communities, and in receipt of a qualifying income or disability related benefit, are able to apply for assistance with heating and insulation measures through Warm Front. Indeed DECC ensures that the Warm Front scheme manager, eaga plc, actively targets minority ethnic groups to ensure they can benefit from the scheme.
	Unfortunately, many of those of the Gypsy and Traveller communities live in properties including Park Homes, which can prove 'hard to treat' and may not be suitable for some of the measures currently available under Warm Front. However, we are currently reviewing options for alternative heating and insulation products which could assist these properties.
	In addition, those who live in Gypsy and Traveller communities and are over 60 years of age would qualify for the winter fuel payment and, subject to their satisfying the grant eligibility criteria for applicants, could also qualify for assistance under the cold weather payments scheme.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK from  (a) travel,  (b) domestic use and  (c) agriculture in each of the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: The latest 2007 estimates of greenhouse gas emissions were published on 3 February 2009. DEFRA are currently publishing the DECC climate change statistics and please refer to the following link for the 2007 FINAL UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions National Statistics.
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/index.htm
	The proportion of UK greenhouse gas emissions from  (a) travel  (b) domestic use (residential)  (c) agriculture UK for each of the last three years are shown in the following table. Emission reporting in the UK can be broken down into individual gases, and also by 'source' and on an 'end user' basis. For 'end user' the emissions are reallocated from the production and distribution of energy to the users of that energy. The main difference between source and end user emissions comes from the treatment of emissions from combustion of fossil fuels, the largest source of carbon dioxide in most countries. To derive emissions by end user, emissions from power stations and other fuel processing industries have been re-allocated to end users on an approximate basis according to their use of the fuel. Emissions by end user are subject to more uncertainty than emissions by source and should only be used to give a broad indication of emissions by sector.
	Table 1 following shows greenhouse gas emissions by source category 2005-07.
	
		
			  Table 1: Greenhouse gas emissions by source (2005-07) for national communication categories of travel, residential and agriculture (2007 final figures, February 2009) 
			   Proportions  (percentage)  Million tonnes CO 2  equivalent 
			  Category  2005  2006  2007  2005  2006  2007 
			 Travel (transport) 20.5 20.9 21.5 133.9 135.5 136.7 
			 Domestic (residential) 13.5 13.1 12.8 88.2 84.9 81.2 
			 Agriculture 7.8 7.6 7.5 50.7 49.4 47.9 
			 Total GHG emissions652.8 647.9 636.6 
		
	
	Please also see table 2 following to see the latest available greenhouse gas emission figures using end user categories. The latest data available for end user are up to 2006.
	
		
			  Table 2: Greenhouse gas emissions by end user (2004-06) for national communication categories of travel, residential and agriculture (2007 provisional figures, March 2008) 
			   Proportions (percentage)  Million tonnes CO 2  equivalent 
			  Category  2004  2005  2006  2004  2005  2006 
			 Travel (transport) 24.6 25.0 25.2 161.7 163.5 164.1 
			 Domestic (residential) 24.3 23.9 23.8 159.9 156.3 155.5 
			 Agriculture 8.2 8.0 7.9 53.7 52.7 51.5 
			 Total GHG emissions657.6 655.2 652.3 
		
	
	Please also note that the differences in the totals in greenhouse gas emissions between each year is due to revisions in data. These are the official National Statistics.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 2 December 2008 on cancer patients' fuel bills.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 9 February 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 23 February and apologise for the delay, which was due to departmental reorganisation.

Nuclear Power: Consultants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1431-2W, on nuclear power: consultants, what the total monetary value is of the contracts with each of the consultants engaged in connection with the generic design assessment.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has engaged a range of external bodies and individuals to assist it with various technical aspects, process assurance and organisation of generic design assessment. The value, in connection with the Generic Design Assessment, of existing contracts is as follows:
	
		
			   GDA cost () 
			  Contractors: (listed in columns 1431W)  
			 IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) 229,879.00 
			 Washington E and C Ltd 70,000.00 
			 EPRI 57,144.00 
			 Health Protection agency (formerly NRPB) 16,564.40 
			 Morson International 14,000.00 
			 Imperial College London 800.00 
			 OECD-NEA 352,312.84 
			 AMEC NNC 19,314.00 
			 Atkins Nuclear 22,483.02 
			   
			  Other contractors (used since)  
			 DYCODA, LLC 10,000.00 
			 Jacobsen Engineering Ltd 104,400.00 
			 Serco Assurance 59,975.00 
			 University of Liverpool 2,605.81 
			 VTT Technical Research Centre Finland 66,600.00 
			   
			  Process review board: (column 1432W)  
			 David Hughes 12,500.00 
			 John Raine 15,016.00 
			 Bernard Whittle 12,155.00 
			 Phillip Woodward 12,155.00 
			   
			  Project assurance officer: (column 1432W)  
			 James Furness 29,500.00 
		
	
	Not included are Technical Support Contractors (TSC) for GDA that are still pending. In line with the GDA Delivery plan, TSC costs will increase significantly in the next two years. Requesting Parties are aware of potential costs and receive annual estimates that are also updated quarterly.
	Values in table are contract values not annual costs.

Power Stations: EC Law

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  whether his Department has plans to apply for a derogation from the EU large combustion plant directive;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with  (a) EU institutions and  (b) energy companies on applications for derogations from the EU large combustion plant directive.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	The large combustion plants directive (2001/20/EC) contains no derogations for which the United Kingdom has to apply and therefore no discussions with EU institutions have been necessary. It is open to the competent authority (the Environment Agency in England and Wales) to apply such derogations as are mentioned in the directive as it sees fit in the light of discussion with the plant operator concerned.

Public Sector: Computers

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage  (a) thin computing and  (b) environmentally-friendly computing practices in the public sector.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	DEFRA carefully considered the promotion of 'thin' clients, which are centrally managed computers with most of the function of the system located in a central server room. However, evidence to date has shown that the increased electricity consumption of these server rooms (e.g. through the air conditioning needed to cool the room) renders this technology less attractive than previously thought from an energy efficiency perspective.
	The Government's Greening ICT Strategy published last year sets out a strategy for reducing the environmental impact of Government's computer systems. One of their main aims is to make the energy consumption of our ICT systems carbon neutral by 2012. We also mandated a set of minimum environmental standards for commonly-purchased products, including ICT.

Solar Power

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has conducted into excitonic solar cells.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board, funded through the Department's Science and Research, and Innovation Budgets respectively, support a portfolio of research into excitonic solar cells.
	The EPSRC's current portfolio on excitonic solar research totals 10 million and includes 1.1 million for the SUPERGEN Excitonic Solar Cells Consortium. The Technology Strategy Board currently has two collaborative RD projects in this area providing total grant support of 833,000.
	Basic and applied research funded by both organisations in areas such as materials and plastic electronics is relevant, but not captured in these figures.

Warm Front Scheme

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made towards his Department's target to provide free loft insulation for pensioners over 70 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Department do not have a target to provide free loft insulation to pensioners over 70. However, the Government do have an ambition to help all households meet their energy efficiency potential by 2020, where practical. As a key contribution, we have set the major energy suppliers ambitious household carbon saving targets, which they meet through promoting subsidised energy efficiency measures. 40 per cent. of their targets have to be met in a priority group of vulnerable households on qualifying benefits and aged 70 and over. Currently, all six obligated suppliers offer priority group households free loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, where none exists, subject to a survey of the property. Under the supplier obligation, around 1.5 million priority group households have received loft insulation since the scheme first began in April 2002.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to his Department's press release of 7 January 2009, on additional apprentices, how many of the 35,000 additional apprenticeship places for 2009-10 are additional to those referred to in his Department's press release of 8 December 2008.

Si�n Simon: The volume of apprenticeships we planned for 2009-10 were set out in my Department's grant letter of 18 November 2008 to the Learning and Skills Council.
	All the 35,000 apprenticeship places announced on 7 January 2009 are additional to these planned volumes. Our press release of 8 December 2008 highlighted high street companies that are expanding their apprenticeship programmes and therefore helping us towards our ambitions for significant growth in the apprenticeship programme. Clearly, we will need to explore whether these companies and other employers, both large and small, across the public, private and third sectors can do more to help us provide extra places. Our national advertising campaign which started this week and the new National Apprenticeship Service will promote the value of apprenticeships to employers to ensure we deliver jobs and training for young people and adults. This will build further on the record number of apprenticeship starts and completions delivered last year; the best since 1997.
	Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeshipup from 37 per cent. in 2004-05.

Apprentices: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of those completing apprenticeship schemes in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland constituency obtained full-time permanent employment in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: An apprenticeship is a work-based programme and apprentices must have a job or a work placement as a condition of completing their apprenticeship framework. Many will already be in permanent employment prior to the end of their apprenticeship. Table 1 following shows apprenticeship completions in Cumbria local authority and Copeland constituency. Figures are presented from 2003/04 to 2007/08, the latest year for which fully audited data is available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship completions in Cumbria local authority and Copeland constituency2007/08 
			   Cumbria local authority  Copeland constituency 
			 2003/04 800 130 
			 2004/05 1,100 190 
			 2005/06 1,400 240 
			 2006/07 1,500 240 
			 2007/08 1,600 240 
		
	
	Information on the immediate destinations of apprenticeships upon completion of their apprenticeship is not readily available.
	This type of information will in future be collected using the Framework for Excellence learner destination survey with the first results for all FE Colleges and Work based learning providers available in spring 2009. There are no current plans to produce this analysis at local authority or constituency level.
	The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeshipup from 37 per cent. in 2004/05.

Departmental Data Protection

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make it his policy for his Department to sign the Information Commissioner's Personal Information Promise.

Si�n Simon: The Government welcomed the Promise as a commendable initiative to raise awareness of the importance of effective data protection safeguards, particularly for those organisations with no similar commitments already in place.
	The Government take data protection very seriously. Following the Cabinet Office Review of Data Handling Procedures in Government, Departments have implemented a raft of measures to improve data security.
	The Ministry of Justice is considering actively with the ICO how the Promise might add additional value to those measures we have already signed up to. These include the Information Charters, the recommendations of the Data Handling Review and the Thomas/Walport Review and, of course, our legal obligations under the Data Protection Act and other legislation and regulations.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which ICT projects initiated by his Department since its inception have been abandoned before completion; what costs were incurred on each project; who the contractors were; what the date of  (a) commencement and  (b) abandonment was in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: DIUS is a new Department established in June 2007, substantially from parts of the former DTI and DfES. As far as we are aware, since June 2007 the Department has not abandoned any information technology projects.
	No information technology projects were abandoned in the last five years for those functions brought over into DIUS from the former DTI.
	It is not possible, without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold, to determine if any information technology projects were abandoned in the last five years for those functions brought over into DIUS from the former DfES.

Departmental Internet

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will publish a copy of his Department's website accessibility plan.

Si�n Simon: DIUS is committed to making its website as accessible to as many people as possible and strives to meet W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to Double A standard. We currently publish a Website Accessibility statement on our interim corporate website at:
	http://www.dius.gov.uk/accessibility/
	The full DIUS site will be launched in March and this will also aim to meet W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to Double A standard. In addition we are in the process of developing a full website accessibility plan which we will publish on our new website as soon possible after launch of the new site and no later than the end of May 2009.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of staff in his Department and its agencies have received bonus payments since it was established; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment has been; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The Department's annual non-pensionable bonuses are awarded on 1 April 2008 for the 12 month performance reporting period ending on 31 March 2008.
	Since the Department's establishment, bonuses awarded to its employees and its agencies are set out as follows.
	
		
			   Staff   
			   Number  Percentage  Total cost ()  Highest single payment () 
			  Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills 225 25 535,006 20,000 
			  
			  National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) 13 24 15,303 2,166 
			  
			  The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) 
			 Performance payment to members of senior civil service 22 88 137,994.00 13,000 
			  
			  Performance pay for staff below SCS: 
			 (a) for 1 August 2007 678 42.6 179,326.00 840 
			 (b) for 1 August 2008 1,015 100 200,649.00 582 
			  Notes: 1. Award date for SCS staff is 1 April 2008. 2. Award date for non-SCS staff is 1 August 2007 and 1 August 2008.

Education: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding his Department provided to each  (a) further education and  (b) higher education college in each of the principal seaside towns of England in 2007-08.

Si�n Simon: Table 1 shows total funding for adult (aged 19 or over) learners through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for FE colleges located in principal seaside towns in England.
	Table 2 provides information on total funding through the Higher Education Funding Council for England for Higher Education Institutions located in principal seaside towns.
	The information given here refers only to provision delivered in FE colleges and in higher education institutions. However, other providers may also deliver FE or HE provision, and may also receive funding from the LSC or HEFCE, so the figures given below do not necessarily represent the full funding available.
	We have used the list of 37 principal seaside towns used in England's Seaside TownsA 'benchmarking' study published in November 2008 by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	
		
			  Table 1: LSC funding for adult (aged 19 or over) learners in FE colleges based in principal seaside towns 2007-08 
			  College  Funding () 
			 Bexhill College 358,000 
			 Blackpool and the Fylde College 6,250,000 
			 Blackpool Sixth Form 2,680,000 
			 City College Brighton 6,260,000 
			 Varndean College 651,000 
			 Sussex Downs College 6,990,000 
			 South Kent College 5,280,000 
			 Great Yarmouth College 2,320,000 
			 Lowestoft College 2,870,000 
			 East Norfolk Sixth Form College 307,000 
			 Isle of Wight College 6,730,000 
			 Penwith College 2,630,000 
			 Scarborough Sixth Form 199,000 
			 Yorkshire Coast College 2,940,000 
			 South East Essex College 3,520,000 
			 King George V College 436,000 
			 Southport college 4,030,000 
			 Weston College 7,670,000 
			 Weymouth College 3,020,000 
			 Northbrook College 6,460,000 
			 Total 71,600,000 
			  Note: Funding totals include participation and non participation funds from Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills through the Learning and Skills Council 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: HEFCE funding for higher educations institutions based in principal seaside towns 2007-08 
			  Higher education institution  Funding () 
			 Blackpool and Fylde College 6,270,000 
			 Brighton University 51,000,000 
			 Arts Institute of Bournemouth 8,680,000 
			 Bournemouth University 38,160,000 
			 Cornwall College 314,000 
			 Sussex University 47,970,000 
			 University College of Falmouth 9,000,000 
			 Yorkshire Coast College of Further and Higher Education 320,000 
			 Total 161,700,000 
			  Note: These amounts cover HEFCE's combined teaching and research grants to these institutions. It is not possible to disaggregate spend to a particular locality where a university/college offers HE courses across multiple sites.

Education: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many submissions for capital projects were considered at the 17 December 2008 meeting of the Learning and Skills Council's National Council; and how many were applications in  (a) principle and  (b) detail;
	(2)  which  (a) further education and  (b) sixth form colleges made submissions for capital projects which were considered at the 17 December 2008 meeting of the Learning and Skills Council's National Council; and which of those submissions were applications in (i) principle and (ii) detail.

Si�n Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom, the LSC Chief Executive will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Libraries.

Education: Prisons

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much funding his Department allocated for  (a) library services and  (b) other education services in prisons in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: The total budget for offender skills and employment, including allocations for prison libraries and heads of Learning and Skills and funds passed to the Youth Justice Board for education in young offender institutions, is provided in the following table. The table also shows the total spend on prison libraries (including young offender institutions) as a subset of the total budget for each year.
	
		
			   million 
			   Total  b udget  Library  b udge t 
			 2003-04 116 3.3 
			 2004-05 116 3.6 
			 2005-06 141 4.9 
			 2006-07 146 5.7 
			 2007-08 156 7.0

English Language: Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many courses in English for speakers of other languages paid for from the public purse were  (a) started and  (b) completed in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: Table 1 shows participation and achievements in Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for 2004/05 to 2007/08. The data prior to 2004/05 are calculated on a slightly different basis to these figures and have not been provided.
	
		
			  Table 1: Participation and achievements in LSC-funded courses in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), 2004/05 to 2007/08 
			   Participation  Achievements 
			 2004/05 111,500 31,500 
			 2005/06 143,300 82,500 
			 2006/07 164,400 101,800 
			 2007/08 (provisional) 165,700 109,300 
			  Notes: 1. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures in this table are a count of the number of learners that participated at any point during the year. Learners undertaking more than one course are counted only once for each data collection. However, learners that are included in different data collections, whether that relates to different years or different funding streams will be counted more than once. 3. Final data for 2007/08 will be published in March 2009.  Source: FE, Ufl, WBL and ASL Individualised Learning Records

Higher Education: Admissions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people resident in Braintree constituency were admitted to universities in England in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  from Braintree parliamentary constituenc y  English higher education institutions( 2) , a cademic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			  Academic year  Entrants 
			 2003/04 1,090 
			 2004/05 1,265 
			 2005/06 960 
			 2006/07 920 
			 2007/08 950 
			 (1) Covers entrants to all levels of HE courses. (2) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants over the time series.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Innovation

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which departments have published innovative procurement plans in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: holding answer 25 February 2009
	When the 'Innovation Nation' White Paper was published in March 2008, we anticipated that Departments would produce their plans in that calendar year. This has not proved practicable, and we have now asked Departments to put their plans in place by the end of the financial year. I can confirm that most major spending Departments expect to have their innovation procurement plans in place by the end of March. DIUS is working closely with the Departments and with the Office for Government Commerce to ensure that the Departments' plans achieve value for the buying Department while encouraging innovation in business, and to ensure that the effectiveness of the plans is appropriately monitored.

Research: British Antarctic Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the cost of maintaining the UK's four research stations in the British Antarctic Territory was in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) operates three research stations in the British Antarctic Territory. The cost of operating them in the last financial year 2007-08 was about 4 million. This excludes the cost of the science and monitoring work undertaken at these stations. The total BAS resource budget is 45 million per year.

Students: Loans

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the economic downturn on the provision of  (a) career development loans and  (b) professional development loans by UK banks to students.

Si�n Simon: Career development loans (CDLs) are a successful GB wide programme administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to help individuals invest in their future by financing vocational learning of their choice. CDLs are commercial loans provided by three high street banks, for which the Government pays the interest while people study.
	The LSC monitors and analyses lending trends on a continuing basis. The number of loans given so far this year is lower than forecast. The LSC believe that, in part, this reflects the banks' concerns about the economic downturn.
	However, as set out in January in New Opportunities: Fair Chances for the Future, the Government believe that loans can play a greater part in helping people gain the skills they need. Expanded and rebranded professional and career development loans (PCDLs), which will be available for courses starting in September 2009, will offer reduced headline interest rates and allow for loans up to 10,000. PCDLs will help more people seeking professional and technical qualifications get on the right track in their career, and help those who have been made redundant retrain.

Students: Voluntary Work

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what Government  (a) guidance and  (b) funding initiatives are available to higher education institutions to support student volunteering.

David Lammy: The Department, through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), has provided significant funding to higher education institutions (HEIs) to support staff and student volunteering52 million up to 2008-09 under the HE Active Community Fund (HEACF) and the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund. The funding has now been mainstreamed and the intention is that institutions will decide how they continue to support student/staff volunteering through their block grants.
	From 2002 to 2006 at least 60,000 people benefited from HEACF volunteer projects. The funding was focussed on helping HEIs to develop and grow volunteering opportunities to build closer links with the community and to help students further develop their employability and generic skills. HEFCE provided HEIs with guidance in support of this funding stream.
	The Higher Education Academy's Annual Volunteer Awards recognises the important contribution of volunteering undertaken by staff and students in institutions.

Train to Gain Programme: Darlington

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people living in Darlington constituency have participated in the Train to Gain programme in each of the last three years.

Si�n Simon: Table 1 shows the number of Train to Gain starts in the parliamentary constituency of Darlington, in each academic year from 2005/06 to 2007/08.
	
		
			  Table 1: Train to Gain s tarts in 2005/06 to 2007/08 
			   Darlington constituency  All Train to Gain starts 
			 2005/06 100 32,400 
			 2006/07 460 206,300 
			 2007/08 620 331,800 
			  Notes: 1. Parliamentary constituency is based on learner's home postcode. 2. Numbers for Leeds West have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Numbers for England have been rounded to the nearest 100. 4. Train to Gain was created in April 2006. Therefore, figures for 2005/06 only include the months of April to July 2006.  Source: WBL ILR 
		
	
	Train to Gain is the key service for supporting employers to invest in the future productivity and profitability of their businesses by investing in the skills of their employees. Train to Gain offers quality-assured, impartial advice from skills brokers, to help identify the business' skills needs at all levels and make the right, informed choices.

Vocational Training

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what schemes his Department has in place to assist with re-training people with more than five GCSEs.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation, University and Skills assists people with more than five GCSEs wanting to re-train through the Train to Gain programme, apprenticeships and through further education provision. And all young people aged 19-25 are guaranteed fully funded training to achieve a level 3 qualification.
	To meet the current and future demand for re-training as a result of the recession, flexibilities and additional funding have been introduced to give people the real help they need. Apprenticeships will be expanded by 35,000 places by 2009-10 funded by an additional 140 million. SMEs have priority for 350 million of Train to Gain funds to provide bite-size training in business critical areas, fully funded level 2 qualifications and subsidised level 3 qualifications, regardless of whether the employee already has a qualification at this level.
	In addition, a joint package with DWP of 158 million has been made available for people who are currently facing redundancy or looking for work, and 83 million will provide high quality FE training places to around 75,000 people who have been out of work for six months or more.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Bankruptcy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) bankruptcy orders and  (b) individual voluntary agreements were issued in each year since 1996-97.

Patrick McFadden: The following table records the number of bankruptcy orders and individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) in each financial year since 1996-97 in England and Wales.
	
		
			  Financial year  Bankruptcy orders( 1)  IVAs( 1) 
			 1996-97 21,058 4,441 
			 1997-98 19,713 4,466 
			 1998-99 20,508 5,113 
			 1999-2000 21,479 8,139 
			 2000-01 21,961 7,480 
			 2001-02 23,426 6,010 
			 2002-03 25,177 6,425 
			 2003-04 29,633 8,210 
			 2004-05 37,562 11,613 
			 2005-06 53,386 24,947 
			 2006-07 64,610 47,975 
			 2007-08 62,357 39,671 
			 2008-09(2) 51,614 30,311 
			 (1 )Not seasonally adjusted. (2) Insolvency data for the current financial year are only available up to December 2008.

Bankruptcy

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) bankruptcy orders and  (b) individual voluntary agreements were recorded in (i) Winchester, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: Table 1 shows the number of  (a) bankruptcy orders and  (b) individual voluntary arrangements recorded in (i) Winchester, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England in each of the last three years. Regional figures are not yet available for 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			2005  2006  2007 
			 Bankruptcy orders Winchester 99 107 113 
			  Hampshire 1,809 2,334 2,179 
			  England 43,023 57,481 59,114 
			  
			 Individual voluntary arrangements Winchester 32 88 84 
			  Hampshire 848 1,732 1,707 
			  England 18,537 40,635 39,084 
			  Notes:  1. Classifying insolvent individuals into administrative geographies is done using the postcode that the person provides.  2. Inaccurate or missing postcodes mean that the numbers in the table will be subject to an element of missing data. Nationally, this proportion has been decreasing from about 12 per cent. in 2000 to less than 4 per cent. in 2007.  3. Figures for Hampshire include Isle of Wight.

Bankruptcy: Greater London

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people were declared bankrupt in  (a) Putney, Roehampton and Southfields,  (b) Wandsworth and  (c) London in each of the last 10 years.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 25 February 2009
	The following table shows the number of bankruptcy orders recorded in  (a) Putney, Roehampton and Southfields,  (b) Wandsworth and  (c) London in each year from 2000-07. Regional figures are not yet available for 2008, nor for years prior to 2000.
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Putney, Roehampton and Southfields 8 14 10 13 19 30 35 26 
			 Wandsworth 50 57 49 87 93 140 165 175 
			 London 1,646 1,759 1,927 2,584 3,848 5,328 6,780 6,627 
			  Note: 1. Classifying insolvent individuals into administrative geographies are done using the postcode that the person provides. 2. Inaccurate or missing postcodes mean that the numbers in the table will be subject to an element of missing data. Nationally, this proportion has been decreasing from about 12 per cent. in 2000 to less than 4 per cent. in 2007.

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many loans he estimates will be taken out under the Working Capital Scheme in the next 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the average value of such loans.

Ian Pearson: The working capital scheme is not available directly to businesses. The scheme enables participating banks to increase the amount of working capital they can make available to businesses

Business: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to support  (a) manufacturing industry,  (b) the retail sector,  (c) small businesses,  (d) motor traders and  (e) business start-ups; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government are taking a range of steps to help businesses through the current economic downturn to boost capital and liquidity in the market. This is across all sectors of the economy. Key measures include the reduction in VAT, the introduction of a new Enterprise Finance Guarantee to support up to 1.3 billion of bank lending, a separate 10 billion guarantee facility to support further working capital bank lending, a 75 million Capital for Enterprise Fund to convert businesses' debt into equity and 25 million of regional funds.
	There is also an extensive range of support for anyone considering starting their own business at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk
	On manufacturing, the Government launched their new Manufacturing Strategy in September last year. It focuses on what the sector needs for success in the long-termincluding seizing the opportunities of the low carbon economy, supporting skills, realising overseas opportunities and improving the perception and understanding of manufacturing.
	It builds on existing areas of support such as R and D Tax Credits, the Technology Programme and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS). MAS is monitoring the situation for small manufacturing companies and responding flexibly with suitable advice to help companies. We are also piloting increased support for MAS in the West Midlands.
	In the longer term, we are ensuring that the policies within the Manufacturing Strategy work to bolster UK manufacturing and deliver the foundations of 21(st) century success such as world-leading R and D and a highly skilled work force.
	The retail sector also has access to the package of help on offer. For example, 1,876 retailers/wholesalers and repair shops have, since October, benefited from a Business Link Health Check. This is just one of the many schemes that can be accessed via the portal at:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp
	On support for motor traders, I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made on the automotive sector on 27 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-67.

Business: Government Assistance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much and what proportion of their budget was spent by each regional development agency on supporting  (a) high technology businesses,  (b) science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills,  (c) innovative procurement and  (d) social innovation and social enterprise in each year since 2005.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 26 February 2009
	The RDAs do not record expenditure as requested. Furthermore, to separate out this data would incur disproportionate cost.

Capital for Enterprise Fund

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of the business plan for the Capital for Enterprise Fund.

Ian Pearson: The Capital for Enterprise Fund is a commercial investment fund which will be governed by a commercial limited partnership agreement between the fund manager and the investors in the fund. What the fund will do will be specified in the partnership agreement, summarised as follows:
	The Capital for Enterprise fund will provide 75 million of equity, made up of 50 million Government funds and an additional 25 million from high street banks.
	The fund will provide equity and quasi-equity of 250,000 to 2 million for companies under the EU SME definition, that is those with turnover of up to 50 million who have viable business models and growth potential in need of long term capital.
	Risk will be shared equally between Government funds and those committed by banks.

Construction: Finance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect on the construction and associated industries of reductions in credit insurance cover; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 25 February 2009
	The reduction of credit insurance can exacerbate financial difficulties already being felt by firms. The Department is discussing the issue of reduction of credit insurance with industry.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will estimate his Department's expenditure on the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

Ian Pearson: ECGD is self-funding and funds its operations out of the premium it charges for its support to exporters and the interest it charges on un-recovered claims.

Departmental Surveys

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department's central media and communication unit spent on public surveys in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: Public surveys are not procured through this Department's central communications directorate but, rather, across the business. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the following figures are available relating to expenditure on public surveys procured through the Central Office of Information (COI) in the last three full financial years:
	
		
			
			  2007-08  
			 Omnibus on nuclear attitudes 7,970 
			 Consumer protection 34,700 
			 Public attitudes to science research 68,100 
			 Pregnancy leaflet awareness 17,100 
			 Renewable energy 14,600 
			 Total 142,470 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Renewable energy 14,000 
			 Public attitudes to science research 29,800 
			 Total 43,800 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Consumer direct 181,650 
			 Renewable energy 23,375 
			 Total 205,025

Export Credits Guarantee Department: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by the Export Credits Guarantee Department is in 2008-09.

Ian Pearson: ECGD does not own any property.

Government Departments: Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many contracts have been awarded through the supply2.gov website in each year since its creation; and what proportion of them were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Ian Pearson: The supply2.gov.uk site offers consolidated access to public sector opportunities and allows businesses to search and view open lower-value contract opportunities in a single place. The portal seeks to bring a greater level of transparency to public sector opportunities, enabling more small businesses to access opportunities that had historically been difficult to identify. It does not measure contract awards and consequently no estimate of the number of contracts awarded, or the proportion won by SMEs, through the site are available.

Government Departments: Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many contracts have been awarded through the CompeteFor website in each year since its creation; what proportion of those contracts were awarded to small and medium-sized companies; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The CompeteFor portal was only launched a year ago. It is early days in terms of contract opportunities as it is designed to capture contracts predominantly in the Olympic supply chain. 217 opportunities have been awarded that have been advertised on CompeteFor and 60 per cent. of these were to companies on CompeteFor. 82 per cent. of the contracts awarded to CompeteFor companies were to SMEs. In total 1,700 opportunities have been posted on CompeteFor and 850 of these opportunities have been posted since 10 December 2008.

Greater Manchester

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1311W, on departmental official visits, how much the agency which deals with overnight accommodation for his Department charged for hotel accommodation costs in Manchester on 7 January 2009.

Patrick McFadden: 129 per night.

Honours

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what meetings the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has had with members of the Honours Committees since his appointment.

Patrick McFadden: Honours Committees are composed of civil servants and independent members. Of the independent members, my noble Friend, the Secretary of State has had one meeting, to discuss BERR issues, with Professor Sir George Bain. He has had various meetings with some of the civil servants on the Honours Committees (including his permanent secretary): none of them have been to discuss the Honours process.

Israel: Arms Trade

Mark Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has carried out investigations to determine whether export licences have been granted inappropriately for unmanned aerial vehicles used in the Gaza conflict.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 24 February 2009
	The UK operates a licensing system built around pre-licensing risk assessment. All export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and any other relevant announced policies. Assessments of applications take account of all available information at the time of the application, including information about the situation in the receiving country. HMG seeks advice on export licence applications, as appropriate, from its advisors in diplomatic posts overseas, including for Israel.
	Licences will not be issued if any of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria would be breached by doing so. However, the Government reassess licences that are in force if circumstances change significantly in the destination country and can revoke these licences if, in the light of those changed circumstances, they assesses that the export covered by the licence would breach any of the criteria.

Keep Our Future Afloat Campaign

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 722W, on the Keep our Future Afloat campaign, to which bodies the North West Regional Development Agency provided funding to be used by the Keep our Future Afloat campaign.

Patrick McFadden: The north west regional development agency (NWDA) funding in support of Keep our Future Afloat Campaign (KOFAC) was paid direct to Furness Enterprise Limited who acted as Secretariat for KOFAC. Those funds were subsequently paid to the shipyard unions for KOFAC activity to attract naval jobs to the region outlined in my previous response to the right hon. Member on 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 454W.

Motor Vehicles: Industry

Andrew Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress his Department has made in discussions with the automotive industry on assistance for motor companies and their subsidiaries in the provision of finance for vehicle purchases.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 26 February 2009
	My noble Friend, the Minister for Trade and Investment, is exploring what solutions can be found to enable the car finance industry to access credit. He is consulting with a range of interested parties, including the Bank of England, banks and the motor finance industry.

Ofcom: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Chief Executive of Ofcom will reply to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare's letters of 15 October 2008, 28 November 2008 and 5 January 2009 on behalf of his constituent, Mr Nicholas Carey-Harris.

Patrick McFadden: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has informed me that they responded to the hon. Member's correspondence on 10 February 2009. I understand they also contacted him to explain and apologise for the delay.

Regional Venture Capital Funds

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many firms have received funding from each of the Regional Venture Capital Funds (RVCFs) in each year since the funds were established; how much was lent by each RVCF in each of those years; how many applications for funding were declined by each RCVF in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The RVCF programme was introduced to help address the equity gap for small and medium sized firms with growth potential seeking investment support up to 660,000.
	At the end of September 2008, regional venture capital funds (RVCF) had invested a total of 126,704,755 in 346 firms. A break down of investment by each RVCF for each year since their creation is provided in the following tables. All of the funds have now reached the close of the investment period and therefore no further new investments will be made.
	Consistent data on the approaches made by firms to funds that did not receive support are not available.
	
		
			  RVCF investments by number of firms and amount  of  investment 2002-08 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  RVCF  SMEs  Amount invested  ()  SMEs  Amount invested  ()  SMEs  Amount invested  ()  SMEs  Amount invested  () 
			 East of England 0 0 0 0 4 1,303,091 3 1,082,673 
			 East Midlands 5 836,494 9 2,067,304 12 4,036,531 5 2,350,482 
			 London 0 0 9 2,000,102 8 3,088,333 17 5,984,580 
			 North East 8 1,625,102 5 1,391,790 12 2,142,490 5 1,857,500 
			 North West 2 333,334 7 1,713,332 12 4,006,946 4 2,444,349 
			 South East 3 399,999 18 5,300,000 5 4,424,767 5 2,097,634 
			 South West 0 0 4 1,000,000 2 400,000 5 1,050,000 
			 West Midlands 0 0 9 1,719,996 12 2,712,503 8 2,031,404 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0 0 5 1,200,000 5 1,375,000 9 2,324,454 
			 Total 18 3,194,928 66 16,392,525 72 23,489,661 61 21,223,075 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007  2008  Total 
			  RVCF  SMEs  Amount invested  ()  SMEs  Amount invested  ()  SMEs  Amount invested  ()  SMEs  Amount invested  () 
			 East of England 4 1,024,500 1 1,421,283 1 1,007,662 13 5,839,210 
			 East Midlands 4 1,722,934 6 3,533,878 3 2,270,320 44 16,817,943 
			 London 13 4,872,692 10 4,007,793 6 2,866,860 63 22,820,360 
			 North East 4 1,013,625 3 741,668 0 399,850 37 9,172,025 
			 North West 7 2,647,484 2 2,631,461 0 861,312 34 14,638,219 
			 South East 7 3,061,374 6 4,218,541 1 1,375,849 45 20,878,162 
			 South West 6 1,684,025 8 3,931,467 6 2,628,757 31 10,694,249 
			 West Midlands 6 1,817,728 5 2,842,256 1 2,516,108 41 13,639,995 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2 785,906 11 3,649,889 6 2,869,342 38 12,204,591 
			 Total 53 18,630,269 52 26,978,237 24 16,796,060 346 126,704,755

Small Business: Credit

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on access to credit for small businesses.

Ian Pearson: BERR Ministers and officials regularly have discussions with Her Majesty's Treasury on a range of issues including access to credit for small businesses.

Small Business: Credit

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how often the panel established to monitor lending to small businesses has met since it was convened.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 11 February 2009
	Officials from BERR, HMT and the Bank of England meet to monitor lending to small businesses on a monthly basis, and started in November 2008.

Small Businesses: Bank Services

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to improve the flow of credit to small businesses.

Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Central (Mr. Sarwar) on 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1456W.

Small Businesses: Procurement

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate his Department has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises registered with the Supply2.gov.uk website in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; what projection he has made of the equivalent figure for 2008-09; and of these, how many renewed their annual registration in each such year.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 12 January 2009
	No figures are available for businesses registered on supply2.gov.uk. The number of supplier user registrations in 2006-07 and 2007-08 was 42,766 and 31,352 respectively. The projected number of supplier user registrations in 2008-09 is 55,834. There is no annual requirement on users to renew the free local location access.

Small Businesses: Procurement

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate his Department has made of the amount paid to Supply2.gov.uk in subscription fees for  (a) Free Location Service,  (b) Regional Area Service,  (c) Home County Service and  (d) National Service in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 12 January 2009
	The supply2.gov.uk service was let under a concession type contract, following a competitive tender. All the commercial risk is borne by the operator. The contract only requires the contractor to provide information on revenues where these exceed an annual threshold. This provision has not so far been triggered during the course of the current contract.

VAT: Channel Islands

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number of businesses which have closed as a result of competition from businesses on the Channel Islands which operate under value added tax exemption rules; and if he will take steps to compensate those businesses which have closed.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	No such estimate has been made. In practice it is unlikely to be possible to attribute reliably the closure of any particular business to one specific factor.

Waterford Wedgwood

William Cash: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he last met representatives of  (a) Waterford Wedgwood and  (b) JCB; and what steps (i) he and (ii) Advantage West Midlands have taken to provide advice and assistance to each company.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 15 January 2009
	My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) spoke to JCB on 9 January 2009 and JCB was also present, as a representative of the construction equipment sector, at the meeting between the automotive industry and BERR Ministers on 27 November 2008. Support for the automotive sector has been the subject of much recent discussion and I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1315W.
	Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has been working with other regional partners to explore ways in which they could assist industry, including these two companies. This includes support for the work force (comprising training for the existing work force, as well as support for company staff facing redundancy), support for suppliers and exploring the potential for redevelopment of parts of the companies estates.
	Since Waterford Wedgewood went into administration, AWM have approached the administrators to further the discussion. In addition, a Ceramics Task Group involving AWM has been called by the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership to discuss support to the wider ceramics industry.

Working Hours: Fire Services

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will hold discussions with Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority on the effect of proposed changes to the EU Working Time Directive on Shropshire's retained firefighters.

Patrick McFadden: The UK Government recognise that losing the individual's right to opt-out of the 48 hour working week as set by the working time directive, would have a detrimental effect on the hours which firefighters working the retained duty system could be available for duty, especially the substantial numbers who work full-time for their primary employer. Many other workers also use this important flexibility and so we remain firmly of the view that this right should remain. We, along with a majority of other member states will be fighting for the retention of the opt-out as this dossier progresses through the European negotiation process.
	I am very aware of the widespread concern on this issue among retained firefighters. Officials both from this Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government have worked very closely with the Retained Firefighters' Union and will continue to keep them informed throughout the negotiations.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make it his policy to enable members of the public to purchase 10 Downing Street gift shop products.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer the Prime Minster gave to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) on 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 881W.

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 467W, on 10 Downing Street: repairs and maintenance, on what date the works in 10 Downing Street associated with Westminster City Council planning application reference 08/00696/1884 were  (a) started and  (b) completed.

Kevin Brennan: The work was carried out during August and September 2008.

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Norwood of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 467W, on Downing Street: repairs and maintenance, 
	(1)  which external contractors were used to undertake the works in 10 Downing Street associated with Westminster City Council planning application reference 08/00696/1884;
	(2)  what the estimated budget for the works in 10 Downing Street associated with Westminster City Council planning application reference 08/00696/1884 was before commencement of the works.

Kevin Brennan: The procurement of facilities services across the Cabinet Office estate is provided by the total Facilities Management provider for the Cabinet Office. Expenditure figures for 2008-09 will be available after the end of the financial year, once the Cabinet Office accounts have been audited.

Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the most recent five-year cancer survival rates are in each primary care trust.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2009:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the most recent five-year cancer survival rates are in each primary care trust. I am replying in her absence.
	Cancer survival rates are only produced for specific cancers. A figure giving the overall survival rate for all cancer patients is not produced as it would not be meaningful to combine figures for disparate conditions having very different survival rates.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not produce survival rates for individual primary care trusts. ONS regularly publishes five-year survival rates for patients resident in the 'Spearhead Group' of primary care trusts in England, compared with those for patients resident in the rest of England. These survival rates for ten cancers (bladder, breast, cervix, colon, lung oesophagus, ovary, prostate, rectum and stomach) are available on the Office for National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14821
	The lowest geographical area for which cancer survival rates are available are strategic health authority areas. Five-year survival rates for patients resident in government office regions, and strategic health authorities for eight cancers (bladder, breast, cervix, colon, lung, oesophagus, prostate and stomach) are available on the Office for National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=11991Pos=9ColRank=1Rank=272

Charity Commission: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant property of the Charity Commission as recorded on the e-PIMS database at  (a) Woodfield House and  (b) Harmsworth House is in 2008-09.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew Hind, 27 February 2009
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on vacant office space.
	The Charity Commission has no empty property on which it is paying business rates. Our entry on e-PIMS reflects this.
	I hope this is helpful

Civil Servants: Computers

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Macbook Air computers are on offer to civil servants as part of the showusabetterway.co.uk competition.

Tom Watson: Show us a better way was a competition to stimulate ideas on how to improve public services through information. The prizes were: a 60,000 fund to develop ideas further and 20,000 for working prototypes.
	There was an additional prize of a Macbook Air for the best idea from a civil servant. This was to encourage participation online and to stimulate and reward innovation within the service.
	The Cabinet Office will be awarding a Macbook Air to one civil servant for their winning idea of a school catchment area tool.

Computer Software

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the Government's policy on the use of open source software is.

Tom Watson: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush (Andrew Slaughter) on 25 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 592-3W.

Conditions of Employment: Parents

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many parents of young children in  (a) England,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) the City of York have requested flexible working.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated February 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many parents of young children in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the City of York have requested flexible working. (257974)
	The available information is provided in the attached table.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) household datasets. These are based on the number of parents in employment who are working agreed alternative working arrangements. It cannot provide the numbers of parents that have requested such working arrangements.
	Parents of young children have been defined as those having at least one child aged 0 to 4 years.
	The LFS is a sample survey covering over 53,000 households in the United Kingdom in each three month period. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number of parents( 1)  with dependent children aged under five in employment( 2)  with agreed flexible work arrangement( 3) , April to June 2008, not seasonally adjusted 
			   Number (Thousand ) 
			 England 529 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 56 
			 City of York (4) 
			 (1) Parents are defined as people with dependent children who are residents in their household. (2) Excluding those on college-based schemes. (3) Agreed work arrangement includes; flexible working hours, annualised hours contract, term time working, job sharing, nine day fortnight, four and a half day week and zero hours contract. (4) Sample size too small to provide an estimate.  Source: Labour Force Survey Household dataset.

Departmental Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the IT division of the Cabinet Office has a list of each database maintained by or on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Tom Watson: The IT division of the Cabinet Office has a list of each database maintained by or on behalf of the Department. For information regarding this list, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by me to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1696W.

Departmental Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the public appointments for which his Department is responsible are due to be  (a) renewed and  (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records his Department keeps in respect of such appointments.

Tom Watson: Information on appointments made by the Department published in the Cabinet Office Public Appointments Plans, is available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/public_bodies.aspx
	Copies are also available in the Libraries of the House. The report for 2008 is due to be published shortly. More detailed information about individual appointments is set out in the relevant body's Annual Report. Vacancies may be advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at:
	www.publicappointments.gov.uk
	The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication Making and Managing Public Appointments. For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies. Copies are in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Video Recordings

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 745-6W, on departmental video recordings, how much expenditure the Cabinet Office incurred in payments to each company in the last 12 months; and what the  (a) title and  (b) purpose of the video produced was in each case.

Tom Watson: The Department has not used any of the companies on the list provided by the chief executive of the Central Office of Information.

Disadvantaged

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the proposed new duty for the public sector to address social inequality contained in the New Opportunities White Paper is to apply to  (a) executive agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies.

Kevin Brennan: The Government are talking with interested parties about the concept and design of a duty to address socio-economic inequality, ahead of deciding whether to legislate. No decisions have been taken as to which public bodies the proposed duty might apply to.

Employment Level: Private Sector

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many British citizens were employed by the private sector in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2009
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many British citizens were employed by the private sector in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available (258597). I am replying in her absence.
	The available information for UK nationals aged 16 and over is provided in the attached table.
	The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). These estimates are based on the respondents' views about the organisation for which they work. Citizenship is defined as the nationality reported by the respondents at the time of the survey.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	The figures have been derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. Consequently the 2008 estimate is not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release, which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
	
		
			  UK nationals aged 16 and over employed in the private sector( 1)( 2) , three month period ending December, 1997 and 2008, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousands/Persons 
			 1997 19,724 
			 2008(3) *20,212 
			 (1)It should be noted that private sector estimates are based on survey respondents' views about the organisation for which they work (2)Includes self-employed and unpaid family workers (3)Coefficients of variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described below:  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical robustness  * 0 = CV 5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 = CV 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 = CV  20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV = 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels mobile home sites etc)  Source: Labour Force Survey

Government Communications Network

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many individuals are members of the Government Communications Network.

Tom Watson: The Government Communications Network is not a membership organisation. It is primarily an online network of professional communicators.
	Any civil servant who considers all or part of their job to be communication can register online to gain access to GCN and the resources it provides through its website.

Government Departments: Internet

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on transformational government projects in each year since 2005.

Tom Watson: We do not hold this information centrally. However, in relation to the Cabinet Office's ICT expenditure I refer the hon. and learned Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central (Jenny Willott) on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 392W. More widely, the Cabinet Office publishes an annual report on Transformational Government which contains summary information about expenditure across Government Departments represented on the CIO Council. The reports for 2006 and 2007 can be found online on the CIO website:
	www.cio.gov.uk
	and copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Government Departments: Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in each  (a) Government department,  (b) executive agency and  (c) non-departmental public body in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2009:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in each (a) Government department, (b) executive agency and (c) non-departmental public body in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available, according to records held by (A) the Cabinet Office and (B) the Office for National Statistics. I am replying in her absence. (258593).
	Estimates of employment for the home civil service from Q3 2004 onwards are taken from the Civil Service element of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES). These are the official employment estimates used by both the Cabinet Office and the Office for National Statistics. Estimates prior to this date are based on results from the Civil Service Statistics publication (Mandate collection), undertaken by Cabinet Office.
	The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by government departments and executive agencies in 1996-7 was published by Cabinet Office and is available on- line: http://www. civilservice.gov.uk/documents/pdf/stats/css97.pdf
	The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by government departments and their executive agencies are published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent data are for Quarter 3 2008 (Annex A).
	Estimates of employment for individual non-departmental public bodies are not published by either Cabinet Office or the Office for National Statistics.
	
		
			  Annex A: Civil service employment by department, Q3 2008 
			  All employees  Full-time equivalent 
			  Attorney-General's Departments  
			 Crown Prosecution Service 8,150 
			 Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate 50 
			 Attorney-General's Office 40 
			 Serious Fraud Office 310 
			 Treasury Solicitor 790 
			 Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office 340 
			   
			  Cabinet Office  
			 Cabinet Office excl agencies 1,220 
			   
			  Other Cabinet Office agencies  
			 Central Office of Information 750 
			 National School of Government 230 
			 Parliamentary Counsel Office 70 
			   
			  HM Treasury  
			 HM Treasury 1,180 
			   
			  Chancellor's other departments  
			 Debt Management Office 80 
			 Government Actuary's Department 100 
			 National Savings and Investments 150 
			 Office of Government Commerce 250 
			 OGC Buying Solutions 260 
			 Royal Mint 800 
			   
			  UK Statistics Authority  
			 UK Statistics Authority(2, 3, 4) 3,130 
			   
			  Charity Commission  
			 Charity Commission 460 
			   
			  Communities and Local Government  
			 Department for Communities and Local Government 2,760 
			 Fire Service College 230 
			 Ordnance Survey 1,380 
			 Planning Inspectorate 770 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 50 
			   
			  Culture, Media and Sport  
			 Department for Culture Media and Sport 460 
			 Royal Parks 100 
			   
			  Defence  
			 Ministry of Defence 67,370 
			 Defence Support Group 3,250 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 3,390 
			 Meteorological Office 1,790 
			 UK Hydrographic Office 990 
			   
			  Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills  
			 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills 810 
			 National Weights and Measures Laboratory 50 
			 UK Intellectual Property Office 990 
			   
			  Department for Children, Schools and Families  
			 Department for Children, Schools and Families 3,090 
			   
			  Ofsted  
			 Ofsted 2,510 
			   
			  Environment, Food and Rural Affairs  
			 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs 3,000 
			 Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science 530 
			 Central Science Laboratory 620 
			 Government Decontamination Services 30 
			 Marine Fisheries Agency 180 
			 Ofwat 200 
			 Rural Payments Agency 3,350 
			 State Veterinary Service 1,560 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency 1,170 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 140 
			   
			  Export Credits Guarantee Department  
			 Export Credit Guarantee Department 200 
			   
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office  
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excl. agencies) 5,800 
			 Wilton Park Executive Agency 80 
			   
			  Health  
			 Department of Health (excl. agencies) 2,210 
			 Food Standards Agency 760 
			 Meat Hygiene Service 1,090 
			 Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 870 
			 National Healthcare Purchasing and Supplies 260 
			 NHS Business Services Authority 210 
			   
			  HM Revenue and Customs  
			 HM Revenue and Customs 81,120 
			 Valuation Office 3,810 
			   
			  Home Office  
			 Home Office (excl. agencies) 2,440 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 510 
			 Identity and Passport Service(3) 3,990 
			 UK Border Agency 17,540 
			 Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism 260 
			   
			  International Development  
			 Department for International Development 1,590 
			   
			  Justice  
			 Ministry of Justice (excl. agencies) 3,350 
			 HM Courts Service 19,420 
			 Land Registry 7,240 
			 National Archives 590 
			 Public Guardianship Office 320 
			 Tribunals Service 2,750 
			 Scotland Office 90 
			 Wales Office 60 
			 Public Sector Prison Service 49,800 
			   
			  Northern Ireland Office  
			 Northern Ireland Office 120 
			   
			  Security and Intelligence Services  
			 Security and Intelligence Services 5,270 
			   
			  Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform  
			 Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 3,510 
			 Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service 770 
			 Companies House 1,080 
			 Insolvency Service 2,440 
			 Office of Fair Trading 590 
			 Office of Gas and Electricity Market 300 
			 Postal Services Commission 60 
			   
			  Transport  
			 Department for Transport 2,030 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 6,260 
			 Driving Standards Agency 2,570 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency 310 
			 Highways Agency 3,470 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 1,110 
			 Office of Rail Regulation 340 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 140 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 2,570 
			   
			  Work and Pensions  
			 DWP Corporate and Shared Services 10,770 
			 Child Support Agency 9,360 
			 Job Centre Plus 66,980 
			 Pensions and Disability Carers Service 15,800 
			 The Health and Safety Executive 3,580 
			 The Rent Service 490 
			   
			  Scottish Government  
			 Scottish Government (excl. agencies) 4,780 
			 Scottish Housing Regulator 60 
			 Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service 1,620 
			 Courts Group 30 
			 Fisheries Research Services 310 
			 General Register Scotland 290 
			 HM Inspectorate of Education 200 
			 Historic Scotland 960 
			 National Archive for Scotland 160 
			 Office of Accountant in Bankruptcy 120 
			 Registers of Scotland 1,340 
			 Scottish Court Service 1,300 
			 Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency 300 
			 Scottish Prison Service Headquarters 3,930 
			 Scottish Public Pensions Agency 230 
			 Social Work Inspection Agency 40 
			 Student Awards Agency 140 
			 Transport Scotland 280 
			 Office for the Scottish Charity Regulator 50 
			 Mental Health Tribunal Scotland 80 
			   
			  Welsh Assembly  
			 Welsh Assembly Government 5,790 
			 ESTYN 100 
			   
			  Total employment 487,490 
			 (1 )Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, and numbers less than five are represented by*. (2 )The UK Statistics Authority (the Authority) was established on 1 April 2008, when the 'Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007' came into effect. One of the functions of the Authority is to oversee the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Office for National Statistics employees are now included within the UK Statistics Authority return and are not listed separately. (3 )On 1 April 2008 employees of the General Register Office were transferred from the UK Statistics Authority to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). (4 )As of 1 April 2008, Field Interviewers are now classified as civil servants and are included as UK Statistics Authority employees.  Notes: 1. The Disability and Carers Service and the Pension Service are now called the Pension, Disability and Carers Service.  2. Communities Scotland, Scottish Agricultural Science Agency and Scottish Building Standards Agency were abolished on 1 April 2008. Staff moved into the Scottish Government.  3. Scottish Housing Regulator was set up on 1 April 2008.  Source:  Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey.

Government Departments: Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what  (a) guidance and  (b) advice the (i) Cabinet Office and (ii) Cabinet Secretary has issued to Government departments on the process and procedure for public appointments.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office publication Making and Managing Public Appointments provides advice and guidance on the public appointments process. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House. Copies can also be downloaded from:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/appointments.asp

Government Procurement Card

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many instances of the misuse of Government procurement cards within the Cabinet Office have been recorded in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: There have been no cases recorded of the misuse of Government Procurement Cards within the Cabinet Office in the financial years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 13 January 2009,  Official Report, column 582W, which expert advisers other than those formally appointed as special advisers have been commissioned by his Department since June 2007.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is not held centrally and cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Expenditure

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish figures for the total expenditure by each  (a) advisory and  (b) executive non-departmental public body in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Tom Watson: This information is not held centrally. Information on expenditure by individual non-departmental public bodies is published by relevant sponsoring departments. More detailed information is published in individual bodies' annual reports and accounts.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Pay

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the wage bill was of each non-departmental public body in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: This information is not held centrally. Detailed information on staff costs is published in individual bodies' annual reports and accounts.

Private Detectives

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 873W, on private detectives, on how many occasions since January 2003 individuals from the panel of independent investigators have been used to undertake internal investigations; and how long each such investigation lasted.

Tom Watson: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on the conduct of leak investigations.

Private Sector: Pay

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the mean wage of a full-time  (a) private and  (b) public sector worker was in each year since 1996-97.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the mean wage of a full-time worker in (a) the private sector and (b) the public sector was in each year since 1996-97. (258618). I am replying in her absence.
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all full-time employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	I attach a table showing the mean gross weekly earnings for all full-time employees in the private and public sector from 1997 to 2008.
	
		
			  Mean weekly paygrossfor full-time employee jobs( 1) , United Kingdom 1997 to 2008 
			   
			   Public full-time employees  Private full-time employees 
			 1997 373 373 
			 1998 385 392 
			 1999 403 410 
			 2000 415 426 
			 2001 438 455 
			 2002 458 479 
			 2003 478 492 
			 2004(2) 500 511 
			 2004(3) 503 498 
			 2005 531 513 
			 2006(4) 543 534 
			 2007 557 550 
			 2008 582 574 
			 (1 )Full-time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) 2004 results excluding supplementary survey for comparison with 2003. (3 )2004 results including supplementary surveys designed to improve coverage of the survey (for more information see National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk). (4 )2006 results with methodology consistent with 2007.  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to introduce secondary legislation to facilitate data sharing under the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 apart from the draft Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (Disclosure of Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2009.

Kevin Brennan: The UK Statistics Authority has approved plans to take forward a number of data sharing measures that require secondary legislation.
	In respect of the disclosure of information to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) by another public authority, there are plans for secondary legislation to share information on students in higher education (for improving population statistics), information from the Value Added Tax System (to reduce the reporting burden on business) and information from the Joint Unemployment and Vacancies Operating System (again to reduce the burden on business).
	In respect of disclosure by ONS to other public authorities, there are plans for secondary legislation to disclose information from the Interdepartmental Business Register to the Bank of England. There are also plans for secondary legislation to disclose information from this source to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland, although this will not require legislation in the UK Parliament.

Statistics: Employment

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether staff employed by  (a) the Carbon Trust,  (b) Envirowise,  (c) the Energy Savings Trust,  (d) Network Rail,  (e) the regional development agencies and  (f) UK Financial Investments Ltd., are deemed to be part of (i) the civil service, (ii) central Government and (iii) the public sector, for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning whether staff employed by (a) the Carbon Trust, (b) Envirowise, (c) the Energy Savings Trust, (d) Network Rail, (e) the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and (f) UK Financial Investments Ltd, are deemed to be part of (i) the Civil Service, (ii) central government and (iii) the public sector, for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts. (258598). I am replying in her absence.
	The Office for National Statistics collects employment statistics for the public sector, as part of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES). I can confirm that staff employed by the Carbon Trust, Envirowise, the Energy Savings Trust, Network Rail and UK Financial Investments Ltd are not currently deemed to be part of the Civil Service, central government or the public sector for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts.
	Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are included in total public sector employee and central government headcounts. They are not deemed to be part of the Civil Service.

Statistics: Employment

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether staff employed in  (a) non-Ministerial departments and  (b) non-departmental public bodies are deemed to be part of (i) the Civil Service, (ii) central government and (iii) the public sector, for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated February 2009:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning whether staff employed in (a) non-ministerial departments and (b) non-departmental public bodies are deemed to be part of (i) the Civil Service, (ii) central government and (iii) the public sector, for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts. (258599). I am replying in her absence.
	The Office for National Statistics collects employment statistics for the public sector, as part of the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES).
	Staff employed in non-ministerial departments are deemed to be part of the Civil Service, central government and public sector for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts.
	Most non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are classified to the central government sector and are included within estimates of total public sector employee headcounts. However, some NDPBs are also public corporationsthe staff employed by these NDPBs are not deemed to be part of central government for the purpose of Office for National Statistics sector employee headcounts, but are included within total estimates of public sector employment and some within the Civil Service employee headcount totals (depending on the employment status of their employees). Most executive NDPBs are non-Crown, as such any staff they employ are not civil servants (although some will have civil servants on loan or secondment). There are 3 exceptionsACAS, the Health and Safety Executive and the new Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission. These 3 bodies are Crown NDPBs and their employees are civil servants and are counted as being in the Civil Service, central government and total public sector for the purpose of ONS sector employee headcounts.

VAT

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether value added tax (VAT) is charged on VAT-liable items in  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) 10 Downing Street staff canteens; and whether retail prices on VAT-liable items have been reduced since December 2008.

Kevin Brennan: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. All canteen facilities within the Cabinet Office are provided by external suppliers, and as commercial entities, they are required to apply VAT in line with HM Revenue and Customs policy. This includes applying the reduction from 17.5 per cent. to 15 per cent. introduced in December 2008.

Regional Ministers

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance he issues to departments on the facilities to be made available to assistants to regional Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 February 2009
	The Cabinet Secretary provided guidance to departments on the support that can be provided to parliamentary assistants to Regional Ministers. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House. Information about the number of visits where assistants to Regional Ministers have used transport provided by Government Offices is not held centrally.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many phosphorus munitions have been used by NATO forces in Afghanistan in the last two years.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 February 2009
	The MOD does not hold information on NATO forces expenditure of phosphorus in Afghanistan in the last two years. NATO forces in Afghanistan use phosphorus munitions to produce a smoke screen to provide cover and thus protection for troops on the battlefield, and not in an anti-personnel capacity.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, what modifications will be made to the Merlin helicopters; and which company he expects to undertake such modifications.

John Hutton: We will provide our Merlin helicopters with modifications appropriate to the environmental conditions and hostile threats which the Merlin force is likely to encounter in Afghanistan. These modifications will include the fitting of improved rotor blades to allow the aircraft to operate in hot and high conditions and changes to the aircraft's defensive aids suite. Details of this equipment is being withheld as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
	All procurement will be undertaken by AgustaWestland as the prime contractor.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Merlin helicopters are being upgraded for operations in Afghanistan; and what the average cost of the upgrade is.

John Hutton: It is envisaged that all 28 Merlin Mk3/3a helicopters will eventually be upgraded at a cost in the region of 50 million. This equates to an estimated average of 1.8 million per aircraft.
	The number of aircraft to be deployed on operations in Afghanistan is being withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Air Force: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training hours flying time RAF fast jet pilots were able to undertake on average in each year since 2004.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to reduce levels of overstretch in the armed forces.

Bob Ainsworth: While the current situation is manageable it is recognised that the continuing level of operations means that the demands on our armed forces remain significant. While the overall manning situation is improving, there remain challenges in maintaining overall manning levels and significant shortfalls remain in some specific trades. Additional measures to reduce the burden on personnel include: reducing the level on non-operational tasking and ensuring all deployments are essential; regularly reviewing the scale and mix of personnel deployed; increasing recruitment and training; and providing financial and non-financial incentives including retention bonuses for certain trades or specialisations that are experiencing shortfalls and continuance of Service beyond the end of engagements. The Services are also undergoing a restructuring programme to rebalance force structures. The continuing drawdown from Iraq will also improve tour intervals and stretch.

Armed Forces: Training

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Department's Minute of 17 February 2009, concerning a contingent liability for the costs associated with the Defence Training Review which was laid before the House on that date, if he will refrain from incurring the liability described in the Minute until  (a) the Public Accounts Committee and  (b) the Defence Committee have completed their consideration of the matter.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 27 February 2009
	Copies of the departmental minute were provided to the Clerks of the House of Commons Defence Committee and the Public Accounts Committee on 17 February in accordance with established procedures. It is the MOD's normal practice when laying a departmental minute concerning a contingent liability to provide copies to the two Committees to ensure that they have ample opportunity to raise any issues with Ministers if they wish.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) in-service dates and  (b) current out-of-service dates are for each armoured vehicle type in the Marines.

Quentin Davies: The Royal Marines operate two armoured vehicles:
	
		
			   In-service date  Out-of-service date 
			 Viking 2005 2024 
			 Beach recovery vehicle 2003 2028

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current out-of-service dates are for each armoured vehicle type in the Army.

Quentin Davies: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Out-of-service dates  Remarks 
			 FV430 Bulldog 2030 FV430 Mk22010 
			 Challenger 2 2035 Challenger armoured repair and recovery vehicle2040 
			 CVR(T) 2020 2026 for Environmental mitigation UOR vehicles 
			 Mastiff (1) UOR procurement 
			 Saxon 2012  
			 Titan 2040  
			 Trojan 2040  
			 Vector 2019  
			 Warrior 2025  
			 (1)( )No planned OSD at present.

Defence Estates: Olympic Games 2012

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter to him from General Sir Richard Dannatt on the venue for shooting events at the London 2012 Olympics.

John Hutton: holding answer 10 December 2008
	I have placed a copy of the note on Bisley that Gen Sir Richard Dannatt passed to my predecessor in September 2008 in the Library of the House.
	We remain committed to working with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic games to enable the shooting events at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics to take place at the Royal Artillery Barracks, subject to there being minimal disruption to army personnel, their families, and to the operations of the Barracks.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Department's Spring Supplementary Estimate, what the reasons are for the 170 million increase in RfR 1 subhead U2; and which assets have fallen in value.

John Hutton: The 2008-09 MOD Spring Supplementary Estimates requested 170 million of net additional resources for non-cash Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). This covers a 200 million impairment charge due to the downward revaluation of land and buildings (reflecting current UK property market conditions); and also the downward revaluation of land and buildings planned for disposal by Defence Estates. The Defence Estates total holding of land and buildings is currently valued at 20 billion. This increased gross AME provision request was partially offset by a 30 million decrease resulting from a revised equipment impairment forecast.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will break down his Department's Spring Supplementary Estimates 2009-10 on the same basis as in the answer of 14 July 2008 to the hon. Member for Aldershot,  Official Report, column 167W, on departmental public expenditure.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Hercules Aircraft

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original expected usage was of each type of Hercules airlift aircraft airframes; when each type came into service; what the expected length of their service life was on entry into service; and what the present rate of airframe usage is.

Quentin Davies: The Hercules C-130K entered service with the RAF in 1967. Because of the long period of time that has since elapsed, details of the original planned service life and usage of these aircraft are no longer held centrally. As at 31 January 2009 the Hercules C-130K fleet had undertaken a total of 7,527 flying hours in the current financial year.
	The Hercules C-130J entered service with the RAF in 1999 with an expected service life of 30 years. Details of the original planned usage of these aircraft are no longer held centrally. As at 31 January 2009 the Hercules C-130J fleet had undertaken a total of 15,680 flying hours in the current financial year.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department estimates it will cost to repair damage to HMS Vanguard as a result of its collision with Le Triomphant in the Atlantic.

John Hutton: It is too early to say.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how far HMS Vanguard was from other identifiable vessels at the time of its collision with Le Triomphant.

John Hutton: I am withholding this information on the grounds of national security.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of sonar equipment on Royal Navy submarines as a result of the collision between HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant.

John Hutton: It is too early to say as we need to await the conclusions of the review of the incident.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long his Department estimates repairs to the damage to HMS Vanguard as a result of its collision with Le Triomphant will take.

John Hutton: It is too early to say.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many crew members were on board HMS Vanguard at the time of its collision with Le Triomphant; and what the  (a) maximum and  (b) minimum crew levels are for HMS Vanguard.

John Hutton: I am withholding this information on the grounds of national security. The declared complement of a Vanguard class SSBN is 135.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the decibel sound pressure level (dBSPL) of HMS Vanguard's nuclear reactors' water pumps was  (a) before and  (b) at the time of the collision with Le Triomphant.

John Hutton: I am withholding this information on the grounds of national security.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what speed HMS Vanguard was travelling at the time of its collision with Le Triomphant.

John Hutton: HMS Vanguard was travelling at very low speed when it came into contact with FS Le Triomphant. I am withholding further information on the grounds of national security.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake an investigation of whether the collision between HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant has had any impact on the marine environment.

John Hutton: The MOD takes this incident very seriously and a thorough review is under way. We will act on any lessons that might be identified. I can confirm that there has been no compromise to nuclear safety.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has begun disciplinary action as a result of the collision between HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant.

John Hutton: No disciplinary action has been initiated as a result of the collision between HMS Vanguard and FS Le Triomphant. However, the MOD takes this incident very seriously and a thorough review is under way. We will act on any lessons that might be identified.

HMS Vanguard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department will have with its French counterpart on investigation of the collision between HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant.

John Hutton: It is too early to say as we need to await the conclusions of the review of the incident.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) the total air transport and tanker aircraft fleet in service and  (b) the air transport and tanker aircraft forward air fleet were fit for purpose in each year since 2001, broken down by aircraft type.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested for the C-17, Tristar, VC-10 and Hercules fleets is provided in the following table. 'In service' has been taken to mean the effective fleet, which covers all aircraft barring those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal. Aircraft in the forward fleet (FF) are those that are available to the front line command for operational and training purposes including those that are classed as short term unserviceable; aircraft undergoing scheduled depth maintenance or planned routine fleet maintenance are not included. Aircraft defined as fit for purpose (FFP) are those considered capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date.
	The information requested is not available prior to 2005. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest aircraft.
	
		
			   Number of aircraft FFP  In-service fleet  FFP as a percentage of in-service fleet  FF  FFP as a percentage of FF 
			  FY  2005-06  
			 C-17 3 4 75 3 100 
			 Tristar 4 9 44 7 57 
			 VC-10 9 16 56 15 60 
			 Hercules C130K 10 25 40 14 71 
			 Hercules C130J 13 25 52 22 59 
			   
			  FY  2006-07  
			 C-17 3 4 75 3 100 
			 Tristar 5 9 55 6 83 
			 VC-10 9 16 56 14 64 
			 Hercules C130K 10 22 42 12 83 
			 Hercules C130J 15 25 60 20 75 
			   
			  FY  2007-08  
			 C-17 3 6 50 4 75 
			 Tristar 5 9 56 7 71 
			 VC-10 8 16 50 13 62 
			 Hercules C130K 10 19 53 13 77 
			 Hercules C130J 14 24 58 19 74 
			   
			  FY  2008-09  
			 C-17 4 6 67 5 80 
			 Tristar 4 9 44 7 57 
			 VC-10 7 15 47 12 58 
			 Hercules C130K 9 17 39 12 75 
			 Hercules C130J 15 24 63 19 79

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) in-service dates and  (b) current out-of-service dates are for each aircraft type in the Royal Air Force.

Quentin Davies: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Aircraft  In-service date  Planned out-of-service date 
			 Typhoon 2003 2029 
			 Tornado GR4 1998 2025 
			 Tornado F3 1986 2011 
			 Harrier GR7/GR9/T10/T11 1990 (GR7/T10) 2018 
			  2006 (GR9/T12) 2018 
			 Nimrod MR2 1979 2011 
			 Nimrod Rl 1974 (1) 
			 Tristar 1984 2015 
			 VC10 1966 2014 
			 Sentry 1991 2025 
			 Sentinel 2008 2035 
			 Hercules C-130K 1967 2012 
			 Hercules C-l30J 1999 2030 
			 C-17 2001 2031 
			 BAE 125 1983 2017 
			 BAE 146 1986 2017 
			 Sea King 3/3a 1978 (Mk 3) 2017 
			  1996 (Mk3a) 2017 
			 Dominie 1966 2013 
			 HawkTl/T2 1980 2018 
			 Tucano 1989 2014 
			 Vigilant Glider 1992 2015 
			 Viking Glider 1992 2015 
			 (1) Nimrod Rl out-of-service date is dependent on the procurement strategy for a mission system capability update which has yet to be decided.

Nuclear Submarines

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many submerged collisions involving British nuclear submarines there have been since 2000.

John Hutton: Since 2000 the following incidents involving submerged royal navy submarines have taken place: HMS Superb in May 2008, HMS Tireless in 2003, HMS Trafalgar in 2002 and HMS Triumph in November 2000. HMS Tireless hit an iceberg while on Arctic patrol. The remainder were all grounding incidents. All the vessels, apart from HMS Superb, which was decommissioned in October 2008, were repaired and returned to service.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the Mutual Defence Agreement 2004 has been amended to enable co-operation on the Reliable Replacement Warhead programme;
	(2)  whether the Mutual Defence Agreement 2004 has been amended to enable the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston to  (a) undertake and  (b) host work on the Reliable Replacement Warhead programme;
	(3)  whether the Mutual Defence Agreement 2004 has been amended in order to  (a) give the United Kingdom access to information on the use of control technologies and  (b) enable the United Kingdom to participate in the Reliable Replacement Warhead programme.

John Hutton: No. While the duration of the Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) was extended by another 10 years (to 2014) in 2004, no extension to its scope was made then or since. In my reply to an earlier question by the hon. Member on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 308W, I confirmed that following the exchange of letters between the then Prime Minister and the then US President in December 2006, enhanced collaborations are taking place between the United Kingdom and the United States under the MDA in support of the UK's nuclear stockpile stewardship programme and which contribute to the ongoing review of warhead options announced in the 2006 White PaperThe Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (CMD 6994).
	I am withholding the information about the detailed nature of these enhanced collaboration, in the interests of national security.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether staff at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston follow similar concept design, development and production processes as in laboratories in the United States.

John Hutton: There are a number of similarities in approach between the Atomic Weapons Establishment and their counterparts in the United States national laboratories. These include the management of research, the assessment of technology readiness, and the fundamentals of science-based stockpile stewardship in the absence of underground nuclear tests. However, our warheads are based on a wholly UK design and differ from US warheads in a number of areas.

Peacekeeping Operations: Defence Equipment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) equipment failure reports and  (b) serious equipment failures have been recorded by his Department for each (i) armoured vehicle type and (ii) small arms equipment type in (A) Iraq and (B) Afghanistan in each year since 2004.

Quentin Davies: The number of equipment failure reports (EFRs) and serious equipment failures (SEFs) recorded are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Equipment Failure Reports 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			   Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg 
			  Armoured Vehicles 
			 CRMBT 110 0 184 0 204 0 141 0 160 0 0 0 
			 CVR(T) 87 0 44 0 29 83 63 190 1 301 1 25 
			 Bulldog 0 0 0 0 0 0 41 1 153 0 11 0 
			 432 Mk2 8 0 7 0 9 0 106 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Mastiff 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 26 156 99 70 2 
			 Saxon 16 7 0 0 3 5 0 4 0 1 0 0 
			 Vector 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 47 65 96 9 8 
			 Warrior 141 0 237 0 599 0 288 0 342 78 12 5 
			 Titan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Trojan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  Small Arms 
			 9mm Browning 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 9mm Sig Sauer P226 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 SA80 0 0 1 0 9 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 LSW 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 LMG 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 GPMG 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 UGL 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Sniper 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 HMG .50 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	The EFR System is the mandated system for equipment users to report failures, such as accidental damage, maintenance related failures and breakdowns, or the failure of an item fitted to the vehicle. It does not incorporate the results of subsequent investigations and therefore does not differentiate between what might later prove to have been a problem caused by operator error or damage sustained as a result of operations. Nor does this data record the severity of a failure which might have no discernible impact on operational capability or safety.
	
		
			  Serious Equipment Failures 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			   Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg  Iraq  Afg 
			  Armoured Vehicles 
			 CRMBT n/a n/a 4 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 
			 CVR(T) n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 
			 Bulldog n/a n/a 0 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 
			 432 Mk2 n/a n/a 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mastiff n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 0 4 
			 Saxon n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Vector n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 10 4 4 3 1 
			 Warrior n/a n/a 11 0 32 0 6 0 2 10 0 1 
			 Titan n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Trojan n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  Small Arms 
			 9mm Browning n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 9mm Sig Sauer P226 n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 SA80 n/a n/a 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 LSW n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 LMG n/a n/a 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 GPMG n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 UGL n/a n/a 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sniper n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 HMG .50 n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 
		
	
	A SEF is defined as a failure or suspected failure that results in, or has the potential to result in personal injury, loss of life or serious damage. An EFR can become a SEF, so some of the figures in the SEF table relate to the same incident in the EFR table. SEF figures for 2004 are not readily available and could be obtained and analysed only at disproportionate cost.

Peacekeeping Operations: Defence Equipment

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the cost of replacing equipment which is destroyed or has become unserviceable on military operations in Iraq or Afghanistan is met from  (a) his Department's core budget,  (b) the contingency reserve or  (c) another source;
	(2)  whether the cost of repairing equipment following military operations in Iraq or Afghanistan is met from  (a) his Department's core budget,  (b) the contingency reserve or  (c) another source.

Quentin Davies: While on current operations, all equipment costs that result from a level of activity that is higher than that programmed in the core budget are funded by the Treasury Reserve.

Territorial Army: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current  (a) trained requirement,  (b) actual strength and  (c) numbers fit for duty is for each infantry battalion of the Territorial Army.

Bob Ainsworth: As at 1 January 2009, the trained requirement and actual strength of Territorial Army battalions was as follows:
	
		
			  Battalion  Trained requirement  Actual strength 
			 3rd Battalion the Royal Anglian Regt 480 450 
			 7th Battalion the Rifles 460 510 
			 4th Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regt (King's Lancashire and Border) 500 560 
			 3rd Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regt (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) 460 320 
			 3rd Battalion the Royal Welsh 460 370 
			 7th Battalion the Royal Regt of Scotland 530 390 
			 The London Regt 420 320 
			 5th Battalion the Royal Regt of Fusiliers 460 360 
			 4th Battalion the Parachute Regt 400 380 
			 6th Battalion the Royal Regt of Scotland 430 270 
			 4th Battalion the Mercian Regt 670 600 
			 4th Battalion the Yorkshire Regt 530 400 
			 6th Battalion the Rifles 480 380 
			 2nd Battalion the Royal Irish Regt 430 410 
			  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	Information on number of 'fit for duty' personnel is not recorded for the Territorial Army and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trident Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to prevent collisions between Trident submarines and other submarines in the future.

John Hutton: The MOD takes this incident very seriously and a thorough review is under way. We will act on any lessons that might be identified.

Trident Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what collisions between Royal Navy submarines and other vessels have taken place since 1997.

John Hutton: There have been no collisions between Royal Navy submarines and other vessels since 1997 other than the recent incident involving HMS Vanguard and the French submarine Le Triomphant.

War Pensions

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of cases considered by the war pension appeal tribunals resulted in  (a) the rejection of an application by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency for an appeal and  (b) a settlement in favour of the claimant for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The proportion of cases under the War Pension Scheme (WPS) considered by the Pension Appeal Tribunal/First-tier Tribunal (PAT/FTT) over the last five years which has resulted in a rejected application is 64.4 per cent. and  (b) a settlement in favour of the claimant is 34.9 per cent. Table 1 gives a detailed breakdown of rejected and successful appeals by calendar year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentages of rejected and successful appeals by calendar year( 1) 
			   Percentage  of: 
			   rejected appeals  successful appeals 
			 2004 66.0 33.1 
			 2005 64.6 34.4 
			 2006 61.5 38.0 
			 2007 64.9 34.5 
			 2008(2) 65.0 34.7 
			 Total(3) 64.4 34.9 
			 (1) Percentages of appeals that resulted in a rejected or successful application do not add to 100 per cent. as each year there were a small number of cases where the assessment was reduced by the PAT/FTT. These cases are considered to have been overturned but are not rejected or successful. (2) January to September (3) 2004 to September 2008

War Pensions

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of decisions on claims made under the  (a) war pension and  (b) armed forces compensation scheme by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency were overturned (i) at a tribunal and (ii) by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency following a request from the claimant for a review of the decision in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Over the past five years1 January 2004 to 30 September 2008there have been 86,220 claims with an outcome under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). During the same period there have been 3,925 decisions overturned at a Pension Appeal Tribunal/First-Tier Tribunal (PAT/FTT). However it is not possible to directly associate claims with subsequent appeals on the War Pension Computer System. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate (i) the proportion of decisions on claims made in any one year that are overturned at Tribunal.
	Table 1 presents a breakdown of claims with an outcome between 1 January 2004 and 30 September 2008, by calendar year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of claims with an outcome under the WPS between 1 January 2004 and 30 September 2008, by calendar year( 1) 
			   Outcomes 
			 2004 21,855 
			 2005 19,365 
			 2006 18,130 
			 2007 15,295 
			 2008(2) 11,575 
			 Total 86,220 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Totals may not add due to rounding (2) January to September 
		
	
	Table 2 presents a breakdown of overturned appeals between 1 January 2004 and 30 September, by calendar year.
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbe r  of overturned appeals under the WPS between 1 January and 30 September 2008 ,  by calendar year( 1) 
			   Overturned  a ppeals( 2) 
			 2004 900 
			 2005 815 
			 2006 850 
			 2007 765 
			 2008(3) 590 
			 Total 3,925 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Totals may not add due to rounding. (2) This includes successful entitlement and allowance appeals, which can be made following first and second claims, and also assessment appeals, where the award can be increased or reduced. (3) January to September 
		
	
	Claimants under the WPS have no statutory right to request a review. Therefore it is not possible to provide information on (ii) the proportion of decisions on claims overturned by the Service Personnel and Veterans' Agency (SPVA) following a request for a review from the claimant. However, any decision may be reviewed at any time on any grounds. If a claimant is dissatisfied with their outcome, they may lodge an appeal either with or without having previously requested a review. Information on reviews is not held centrally.
	The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) was introduced on 6 April 2005 and unlike the WPS includes the right to ask for formal review (known as a reconsideration) of decisions. Between 1 November 2005 and 30 September 2008, there have been 6,000 claims with an outcome under the AFCS.
	Any claims with a decision made between 6 April 2005 and 31 October 2005 were recorded on an interim system prior to the introduction of the Compensation and Pension System (CAPS). Data held on the interim system are not compatible with CAPS and therefore it is not possible to analyse this data.
	35 decisions on claims under the AFCS have been overturned at Tribunal and 95 decisions on claims under the AFCS have been overturned following a request from the claimant for a reconsideration of the decision.
	Table 3 presents a breakdown of claims with an outcome between 1 November 2005 and 30 September 2008, by calendar year.
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of claims with an outcome under the AFCS between 1 November 2005 and 30 September 2008, by calendar year( 1) 
			   Outcomes 
			 2005(2) 5 
			 2006 1,085 
			 2007 1,890 
			 2008(3) 3,020 
			 Total 6,000 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for data protection purposes. Totals may not add due to rounding. (2) November to December (3) January to September 
		
	
	Table 4 presents a breakdown of appeal and reconsideration decisions overturned at Tribunal between 1 November 2005 and 30 September 2008, by calendar year.
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of overturned appeals and reconsiderations under the AFCS between 1 November 2005 and 30 September 2008, by calendar year( 1,)( )( 2) 
			   Overturned appeals( 3)  Overturned reconsiderations 
			 2005(4)  - 
			 2006 * 10 
			 2007 15 25 
			 2008(5) 15 60 
			 Total 35 95 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five for data protection purposes,'*' indicates fewer than five but greater than zero,'' indicates zero. Totals may not add due to rounding. (2) Claims with an outcome during one calendar year may have had an overturned appeal/reconsideration in a later year. Therefore the number of overturned appeals/reconsiderations in a specific year cannot be directly compared with the outcomes in that year. (3) Of the 35 appeals overturned at Tribunal, fewer than five were subsequently overturned again by the Pension Appeal Commissioner/Upper Tribunal (PAC/UT). (4) November to December (5) January to September

Warships

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tours have been undertaken by each  (a) Type-42 destroyer,  (b) Type-22 frigate and  (c) Type-23 frigate since 2005; where each tour was; what the length of each tour was; and what the length of time was between each tour.

Bob Ainsworth: Listed as follows are deployment details and length of time between each deployment of Type 42, Type 22 and Type 23 units from 2005 to those continuing into 2009.
	
		
			  Unit  Deployment  Year  Duration in months  Time before next deployment in months 
			  T23 
			 Portland South Atlantic 2005 6 21 
			  North Atlantic 2007 6 11 
			  Gulf 2008-09 8  
			 Somerset Mediterranean 2005 2 30 
			  Mediterranean 2008 6 6 
			  Mediterranean and Far East 2009 5  
			 Sutherland Baltic Sea 2005 2 15 
			  Gulf 2006-07 6  
			 Argyll Gulf 2005 6 13 
			  Mediterranean 2006 2 10 
			  Gulf 2007-08 6 10 
			  Mediterranean 2009 2  
			 Monmouth Mediterranean 2004-05 4 23 
			  Far East 2007 9  
			 Montrose Gulf 2005 3 6 
			  Gulf 2005-06 6 8 
			  Mediterranean 2007 7 8 
			  Gulf 2008 7  
			 Nth'land Caribbean 2006 2 14 
			  Mediterranean 2007 4 9 
			  Red Sea 2009 6  
			 Iron Duke South Atlantic 2004 3 18 
			  North Atlantic 2006 6 18 
			  North Atlantic 2008 7  
			 Lancaster Mediterranean/Gulf 2006 5 4 
			  North Atlantic 2006-07 4 17 
			  Gulf 2008-09 6  
			 Richmond Gulf 2007 7 3 
			  USA 2008 2 7 
			  Gulf 2009 6  
			 Westminster West Africa 2005 2 6 
			  Far East 2006 6 14 
			  Far East 2008 5  
			 Kent Mediterranean 2004  17 
			  Gulf 2006 6 17 
			  Far East 2008 6  
			 St. Albans Gulf 2006 6 29 
			  Mediterranean 2009 3  
			  
			  T22 
			 Cambeltown Gulf 2005 5 13 
			  Gulf 2007 3 7 
			  Gulf 2007-08 7  
			 Cornwall Gulf 2007 7 5 
			  Europe 2008 1  
			 Chatham Gulf 2004-05 6 12 
			  South Atlantic 2006 6 10 
			  Mediterranean 2007 2 4 
			  Gulf 2008 7  
			 Cumberland North Atlantic 2005 4 33 
			  Mediterranean 2008 4  
			  
			  T42 
			 Gloucester Gulf 2004-05 4 13 
			  Gulf 2006 4 4 
			  Mediterranean 2006-07 2  
			 Edinburgh South Atlantic 2006-07 10 7 
			  Far East 2008 5  
			 Manchester Mediterranean 2005 4 16 
			  North Europe 2007 1 1 
			  USA 2007 2 8 
			  Gulf 2007-08 7 8 
			  South Atlantic 2009 7  
			 York Far East 2005 6 6 
			  Mediterranean 2006 6  
			 Exeter Mediterranean 2005 2 2 
			  North Europe 2006 1 19 
			  Mediterranean 2007 1 2 
			  Mediterranean 2008 2  
			 Liverpool North Atlantic 2005 6 5 
			  South Atlantic 2006 6 20 
			  South Atlantic 2008 7  
			 Nottingham Gulf 2005 3 1 
			  Mediterranean 2005 2 6 
			  Mediterranean 2006 5 16 
			  South Atlantic 2007-08 6  
			 Southampton South Atlantic 2005-06 6 7 
			  Mediterranean 2006 2 5 
			  South Atlantic 2007 8